This group of 30 convinced Barack Obama to give them lunar mining rights

First they won the 1 million dollar Google Prize in 2015. Then they made a lunar lander that cost them less than USD 10 million. This year they will send their micro shuttle to International Space Station for less than USD 5 million. They are launching an unmanned moon mission. And, in doing all these things, they proved to the world how a small group of people can equal the superpowers when it comes to space.

Moon Express, one of the leading private player in the space industry is making it big. In November 2015, US President Barack Obama signed a law that gave them lunar mining rights.

Cofounder Naveen Jain says that his company is meant to spread a bigger message.

“The biggest thing is to be able to make an autonomous lunar lander. It is a group of 30 people who did not take no for an answer. But we built a company which spreads a bigger message to the world, to achieve everybody’s moonshot and that moonshot can be as small as fighting against dowry,” said Naveen.

It will take 10 years before they are able to take humans to space and the moon. But the good news is it might cost less than USD 1 million dollars, as technology makes materials cheaper and cheaper.

“NASA has even tested successfully a 3D printed rocket engine and it worked. This changes the game. Now we can make a titanium rocket with carbon fibre that can take you to the lower orbit for 3 to 4 million dollars,” said Jain.

(Image credits: Moon Express)