Company Awaits US Regulatory Approval For Private Space Launch, Are We Going Back To The Moon?

A private space launch may soon get the approval to send a private spacecraft on an exploration to the moon, that is, if the US federal government will agree to Moon Express' plan. Based on reports, the company is aiming to leave behind the biggest regulatory hurdle that will stand in its way to bring a package worth of 20 pounds to the largest satellite of the Earth.

The private space launch could become the basis for future diplomatic and legal issues and could also ensure that companies that are into private space exploration would respect the international space treaties. This is according to some analysts who have knowledge of the details of the said project, citing as well that such deal may lead to mining asteroids in space as well as keeping track of debris.

According to reports, the private space launch license will not be approved until the later part of 2017 and Moon Express remains to encounter considerable technical difficulties. One of these is due to the fact that the company has not tested the rocket that it is planning to use. The MX-1 lander and the rocket that it plans to launch to the moon will also need to be approved for its proposed two-week operation, Inquisitr reported.

The approval has met a lot of challenges, given the fact that the US government has not approved the same type, it has no set template for giving approval to commercial flights outside the Earth's orbit. The agency tasked to oversee the process for this program is the Federal Aviation Administration.

Moon Express started to lobby in April 2014 for a commercial space flight and was reported to have spent $140,000 targeting the office of the president and the Congress, based on the Senate lobbying disclosure forms.  

Approval for the private space launch may bring in large amounts of money for Moon Express. If it ever becomes the first to send a rover on the moon,  the company would be beating 15 other companies that are vying for the Google Lunar X price that offers $20 million to any team that can first land a rover to travel 500 meters and eventually send back images and videos in high-definition, according to WSJ.