Following the successful landing of Rosetta mission’s Philae on a comet in November, a UK-based team is now tinkering its way to capitalize on a resuscitated space exploration plan. Lunar Missions Ltd. recently conducted the launch of its own crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter with the hopes of raising funds to land a robotic probe that will bury a time capsule on the lunar south polar.
The campaign has already pulled in more than $313,000 and has reached one third of its goal of the savvy budget in just 24 hours. The mission isn’t just limited to placing a time capsule. The organizers hope that the robotic lander will produce some interesting scientific facts. The robotic lander has the ability to drill between 20 to 100 meters into the surface of an unexplored area.
UK-Based Team Get Crowdfunds for Lunar Mission Moon
“What are the origins of the moon… Is the moon suitable for a permanent manned base for space exploration? These are a few of the questions that the mission will seek to help us answer.” said Lunar Missions founder David Iron during a press conference in November.
The mission has been in the making for past several years and won’t launch for the coming decade. The time before its launch (ten years) will provide the team enough time to raise money needed to get the lander off the ground.
According to David Iron, Lunar Missions hope to fund its lunar drilling mission by also selling a separate time capsule which will be buried on the moon. Those involved in the later stages of fundraising will get a chance to reserve space in a digital memory box meant for sending texts, photos and videos to the moon. Kickstarter backers will also get the option to include a strand of their hair or even their DNA in the outer space.
Crowdfunds Lunar Mission Moon
According to its market research, 15 percent of global population will be able to afford a digital memory box and about one percent of the group will be able to purchase one. Lunar Missions have estimated its mid-point project revenue to be somewhere around $4.7 billion.
The project has faced some stiffer competition when it comes to raising funds on a platform as giant as Kickstarter. A similar Pennsylvania State University led mission to the moon has crowd funded more than $150,000 with insignificant media attention. For as meager as $100, the Lunar Lion team promises to not just bury a digital message on the moon, but also have engraved it in gold before it gets entombed.
