The owners of a private Russian company claim they have the capability to build an outpost on the moon.
According Next Big Future, a company called Lin Industrial has its sights set on a first-stage lunar base near the moon’s south pole to be followed by a second-stage facility as part of a project with an estimated cost of $9.3 billion. But as of press time, it’s unclear where the required funding will come from.
The company is also currently working on a project to build an ultralight two-stage rocket called the Aldan rocket. They still need to raise $200,000 to produce a prototype, and then up to $13.5 million to carry the launch vehicle to its first flight. If successful, a rocket like this would likely be used to transport materials for building the intended lunar base.
The design for the lunar outpost is already in the works. According to company spokespeople, it will take 13 heavy carrier rocket launches to transport materials, with a total of 37 rocket launches during the construction phase. The entire project will take around 10 years to complete the construction and open the base for business.
Lin Industrial officials haven’t announced exactly how the project will be financed, or when they intend to begin work. This announcement is the latest in a series of indications that there is renewed interest in the moon as a target of space exploration.
Although humans won’t be living on the moon anytime soon, it seems we’ll be spending a lot of time thinking about it.
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