Moon Express, co-founded by Naveen Jain, was granted a license by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) last week, to launch a spacecraft and land on moon in 2017, becoming the first private company to get such approval. They plans to take human remains to the Earth’s satellite at $3 million per kilogram.
Moon Express’s plans for commercial cargo include taking human ashes to the moon. Jain said that the delivery of one’s ashes for lunar interment would be based on a “payload” price of $3 million per kilo. “Since the cremated remains of adults generally weigh between 4 and 6 pounds, the indicated price range is $5.4 million to $8.1 million,” the demand for such a service is high.
“We already have a long list,” iJain said. There have been no private space missions so far beyond Earth’s orbit and only state agencies have performed outer space missions. “The sky is not the limit for Moon Express, it is the launchpad.
“Space travel is our only path forward to ensure our survival and create a limitless future for our children,” Jain had said following the announcement by FAA. “In the immediate future, we envision bringing precious resources, metals and moon rocks back to earth,” he had said.