Golden Spikes will offer a round trip to the moon for $1.5 billion, with the rest of the cost covered by sponsorships
A group of space experts, media people and politicians announced last week the formation of a new commercial company that will transport paying passengers to the moon.
The Golden Spike company is looking to "implement and operate a human transportation system at a good price point from an economic point of view." According to the company's website, it is focused on "creating a sustainable lunar flight business that will generate profits through multiple high-value revenue streams."
The current estimate talks about a round trip ticket to the moon at a price of 1.5 billion dollars, but they are not currently focusing on private paying customers but on serving other companies and even government entities.
Behind the project are well-known people, including CEO Alan Stern, the chief investigator of the New Horizons mission to Pluto, who is also involved in several other space projects such as Uwingu, the former Apollo flight director Gary Griffin, the former shuttle project manager Wayne Hale and the Republican politician Newt Gingrich who promoted the idea of building Colonies on the moon when he was a candidate in the Republican primary for the presidency.
Golden Spike trailer
The timing of the announcement was not accidental - on the 40th anniversary of the last manned flight to the moon - that of Apollo 17. In the announcement, Griffin said that a group of people who love this idea came together and decided that the time had come for such a mission that would be within the reach of companies, nations and even private individuals. Golden Spike seeks to provide end-to-end services such as aircraft, mission planning and crew training to create a reliable and affordable system for a US-centered lunar flight.
Stern added that the company will not build any new vehicles but will adopt passenger spacecraft that are already in development and use existing launch infrastructure. However, they will seek to develop space suits and moon landings.
The preliminary plan is to use a series of launchers, to initially launch a lunar lander that will only circle the moon, when the second launch will bring the passengers who will dock with the lander and continue to the moon.
Stern said the flight costs will not be higher than some of the robotic missions and they will cover the additional costs through sponsorships, broadcasting rights and other means, in addition to their hope that investors will back the project.
They also plan to engage the public as an integral part of each mission.
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If they don't fly to the moon, they certainly won't fly to Mars, the moon is about a thousand times closer than Mars, the flight to Mars is infinitely more complicated than a flight to the moon, not flying to the moon is just an excuse, there are no resources to fly to the moon
We demand an affordable moon, what are these prices, the moon belongs to everyone not only those who earn well.
Laurie
The idea is in the direction but there are several differences from previous settlements in human history.
1. The distance is many hundreds and even thousands of kilometers and the costs of transferring equipment to the moon (something that must be done before starting to send passengers in one direction) are too expensive for the economy today.
2. Colonization on the moon, unlike Mars, will require much more equipment because on the moon it does not even have a minimal atmosphere, and therefore a device will be needed to supply oxygen regularly and on a large scale (because once again starting to import oxygen in huge quantities will be difficult or impossible for the economy) and in addition there is no gravity Good for creating an atmosphere (the Moon's gravity is 1.6 compared to Mars' 3.7).
That's why the idea is good but not practical today with the economy and technology today, but one can hope that in the future they will go for the settlement of the moon before the settlement of Mars as you suggested.
Itzik, what happened, you replaced Michael Rothschild as the site's Politrok? (Where did he go?)
What's nice about this site is the lightness of the articles and their popularity
A mental oasis in the mental desert that surrounds us. So let enjoy.
Itzik, why bother?
I don't know what is more ridiculous, the price or the number of dangers in such a flight or that your responses to this article are the most ridiculous. Are you sure this is a site that deals with science in a serious way?
Why not connect rockets to Mars and bring it closer to Earth?
That way the journey to it will last only a few days and everyone will be happy 🙂
to Putin,
Why not stay on the moon actually?
I mean, why not pay 2/3 of the ticket price for a one-way ticket and start a permanent residency on the moon?
One of the most relevant things I've heard about a trip to Mars which is much further away from the moon with a travel time of at least 10 months each way with current technology compared to a few days to the moon is a one way trip. The cost of a round trip to Mars with reasonable layover time is astronomical.
the solution? One-way ticket and start of settlement.
The moon and then Mars will become the New Frontier that will be built by volunteers or perhaps bold and brave colonists.
The 13 colonies in the USA, the journey to settle the western USA by the white man and there are certainly many other examples from human history.
I am sure that there are hundreds if not thousands of inhabitants of the Earth today who are suitable and ready to settle on the moon as well as on Mars. Of course, there is the possibility of turning the moon or Mars into a penal colony of the Earth according to Australia in human history, but everyone and the future they hope for 🙂
I liked the "round trip ticket..." I want to stay on the moon I want half price
(-:
Not bad... technology doubles year by year
So I guess in a few decades it will be at a price of a few tens of thousands no more
If there were a billion or two extra...
It was the same with intercontinental flights, and with a thousand and one other things.
Don't worry, cell phones used to be only for the rich - today everyone has one. That's the nature of these things and I guess it will be the same in this case.
And Failo Chel and even.
Anyway, still too expensive…
We have to transport several dozen passengers together to cut the price...