Private Company Gets Government Approval To Land On The Moon

For the first time in history, a private company will be landing craft on the lunar surface. The US Government has granted the company MoonExpress to land a rover on the Moon.

The company is sending the MX-1E spacecraft there to map water and mining resources for future explorers of Earth's only natural satellite. The company is also looking to win the Google Lunar X Prize, which is a $30 million award to a company who successfully lands a rover that travels 1,500 feet across the lunar surface while transmitting video back to Earth.

The company, based out of Cape Canaveral, Florida applied and got approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The agency said this in a official statement:

The FAA has determined that the launch of the payload does not jeopardize public health and safety, safety of property, U.S. national security or foreign policy interests, or international obligations.

There will be certain restrictions set out by NASA to private companies lading on the Moon. Apollo landing sites are off-limits and are not allowed to remove any space agency equipment from historic landing sites.