The Lunar Mission One funding goal has worked. The U.K.-based Lunar Mission One has been on a mission to raise approximately $750,000 through crowdfunding to make a proposed moon mission off the ground become a possibility.
Who would have thought that the Lunar Mission One funding goal would actually become successful, and would even surpass its initial fundraising goal? Now, the group behind the mission to the moon and the Lunar Mission One funding goal is moving towards the next step - making the moon mission become a reality.
The Lunar Mission One funding goal, essentially a crowdfunding campaign, has met its initial £600,000 ($945,000) target for their robotic mission to the moon. The privately funded project now has 0.1 percent of the money they say they will eventually need for the entirety of the mission.
It might seem like a long way off, but with the current success of the Lunar Mission One funding goal, the rest of the funds is not entirely impossible. The team's lunar endeavour will take ten years, but now it can finally get started, reports Wired.
The Lunar Mission One funding goal or Kickstarter campaign was launched last month by British Consortium, Lunar Missions Ltd. The mission aims to land a robotic probe on the Moon and drill down to a depth of 100 metres, allowing the probe to access the 45.5 billion-year-old lunar rock.
Through the Lunar Mission One funding goal's success, they will be able to uncover a wide array of mysteries about the universe. This will also be the first time we've explored such an area or reached such depth, according to PopularScience.
"Until now, nearly everyone involved in Lunar Mission One has been working 'at risk' or in their spare time," Spokesman Will Spratt, told NBC News via email.
One of the key tasks ahead is to "get the online reservation system for digital memory boxes up and running to provide ongoing early-stage income," he said in the email.
The success of the Lunar Mission One funding goal will also begin to accomplish a secondary aim of the mission which is to engage more young people in STEM subjects and get the publicmore interested in space.
"Lunar Mission One has deliberately been launched as an independent venture which is not controlled by government agencies," Ian Taylor, Chair of Lunar Missions Ltd, said while commenting on the team's success on the Kickstarter Lunar Mission One funding goal. "This project will be built using public support alongside the skills and expertise of some of the world's leading scientists, engineers and technologists."
"Having achieved what we have today, we are celebrating the beginning of a ten-year journey of collaboration, innovation and exploration," he added.
Apart from the lunar lander and drill, the mission will reportedly be sending along a time capsule from Earth as well. The capsule will be filled with things like digital videos, music and even DNA. The backers of the Lunar Mission One funding goal will get to pick what makes the trip.
Thousands of people from more than 60 countries have supported the Lunar Mission One funding goal financially. The team behind the Lunar Missions team has been supported by many high-profile figures from within the space industry and scientific community as well.
Meanwhile, Professor Stephen Hawking has already sent his congratulations to the people involved in the mission for achieving such success with the Lunar Mission One funding goal.
"Today they have achieved what are the first steps towards a lasting legacy for space exploration. Lunar Mission One is bringing space exploration to the people, and I have no doubt that young people and adults alike will be inspired by the ambition and passion of all those involved in the project. As a truly scientific endeavour, I wish it nothing but success over the coming years," said Hawking.
The Lunar Mission One funding goal's success is only the beginning of what could be accomplished of the plan that calls for launching Lunar Mission One's lander to the moon in 2024. The estimated cost is $800 million, reports NBC News, but organizers also expect the educational and social portion of the mission to cost an additional $200 million. With the recent success of the Kickstarter project, this might not be far off.
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