First commercial moon mission approved FIRST COMMERCIAL MOON MISSION APPROVED
Sep. 04 2003- The U.S. Government has just licensed the first commercial mission to the moon.
TransOrbital, Inc. received permission last week to send a probe back to the moon. That probe ('Trailblazer'), will orbit the moon for 90 days, filming the Earth and mapping the moonscape in detail.
'We're also looking to verify Apollo and other landing sites,' said TransOrbital President Dennis Laurie.
He said 'verify' because there are still a few people who believe that the Apollo program was a hoax.
'Trailblazer' is expected to launch from Kazakhstan within the next few months. Trailblazer will also carry a time capsule containing messages and personal items that will remain on the moon where the craft crashes.
Future plans by TransOrbital include the creation of a network of navigation beacons on the moon to help future lunar explorers and possibly ultra-secure data storage facilities.