Two private companies are planning the first-ever mission to the moon's south pole for 2015, according to news release.
International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA), a non-profit aiming to build a scientific and commercial base on the moon, led the project with the help of a start-up called Moon Express, plans for a 2015 launch, according to a news release.
Wired reported an explanation of the companies' plan:
The companies want to put a 2-meter radio antenna along with a smaller optical telescope on a lunar peak, most likely the 5-km-high rim of a crater called Malapert. From this position, both telescopes could view the center of our Milky Way galaxy with unprecedented clarity because they wouldn't be subjected to our atmosphere's hazy interference.
The moon would also block them from radio and other electromagnetic noise created by modern civilization. Astronomers have long proposed putting similar telescopes on the moon's far side - which faces permanently away from our planet - because the pictures could exceed anything produced by the best terrestrial or even space-based instruments.
The telescopes would need to be controlled by satellite relays, and the Malapert crater near the lunar south pole provides the advantage of "a direct line of access to Earth," according to Wired. Steve Durst, founder and director of ILOA, believes the lunar poles are the "most obvious locations for eventual human settlement," as it potentially may be a "resource-rich area."
ILOA's founder wants to get to get a head start on the future.
"The ILO will demonstrate the value of the Moon for scientific study of the Galaxy, Moon, Earth, Sun and Stars," Steve Durst, founder and director of the ILOA and Space Age Publishing Company, said in a news release. "We are a global consortium of scientists, educators, entrepreneurs and visionaries who seek to establish a scientific presence on the Moon followed by human exploration and eventual settlement."
The mission would costs the companies about $100 million. Durst told Wird ILOA has yet to have any fundraisers because "we haven't had a demonstrable need for significant funds."
Before they attempt to place any lunar probe, the companies are planning to send their ILO-X, a shoebox-sized telescope to test the ILOA's software and hardware on the moon.
To read the full Wired report, click here.
