NASA wants to buy minerals from the moon, and is looking for companies to make trips with the aim of mining space.
The service is accepting bids from explorers anywhere on Earth who are willing to fund their own trips to the moon and collect soil or rock samples without actually returning the material to Earth. The effort aims to create a legal framework for mining the lunar surface that would allow NASA to one day collect ice, helium or other materials useful for colonies on the moon and eventually Mars.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) also wants to demonstrate the potential for “in situ resource utilization,” or the use of local materials for future space missions, it said Thursday. It expects to pay roughly between $15,000 and $25,000 per contract, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, although final pricing will be determined by competition.
Activities beyond the ground planeare currently governed by the 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty. Signed by the US, it prohibits extraterrestrial military bases or nuclear weapons and essentially requires nations to peacefully explore and clean up their own "garbage."
Specifically, the treaty states that space is not subject to “national ownership by claim to sovereignty, by use or possession, or by any other means.” But it does not specifically address space mining.
"It's time for regulatory certainty to export and exchange space resources," Bridenstine said in a tweet.
The winning bidder will collect up to 500 grams of lunar material, photograph it, document its location, and then “transfer ownership of the lunar material or rocks to NASA on-site,” the agency said in a blog post. NASA will arrange any recovery plans for the material later.
Among the most likely contenders to handle a lunar landing are six companies, including Elon Musk 's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and Astrobotic Technology Inc., which have already won NASA contracts to land cargo or astronauts on the lunar surface. NASA has selected three companies for each of those roles as part of its Artemis program, which aims to land astronauts on the moon by 2024.
The company, which has been awarded a $300 million contract for lunar payloads, plans to make its first trip in 2021. It charges customers $1.2 million per kilogram for a lunar landing payload. SpaceX did not respond to a message seeking comment.
NASA will only pay for the lunar material transported, and contractors will be responsible for mission-related costs, NASA spokeswoman Stephanie Schierholz said in an email.
