U.S. gov't approves 1st private lunar mission

The U.S. government has approved for the first time a private company's plan to fly a spacecraft and land on the moon in 2017, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced Wednesday.

The FAA said in a statement that it has determined the launch of Moon Express's MX-1E spacecraft "does not jeopardize public health and safety, safety of property, U.S. national security or foreign policy interests, or international obligations of the United States."

Moon Express, created in 2010 for the purpose of mining the moon eventually, said it receives the green light following in-depth consultations with the FAA, the White House, the State Department and U.S. space agency NASA.

"The Moon Express 2017 mission approval is a landmark decision," Moon Express co-founder and CEO Bob Richards said. "We are now free to set sail as explorers to Earth's eighth continent, the moon."

The Florida-based company added that the approval begins "a new era of ongoing commercial lunar exploration and discovery, unlocking the immense potential of the moon's valuable resources."

The approval also sets a precedent for the private sector to engage in space exploration in accordance with the 1967 UN Outer Space Treaty, which states that activities in outer space by nongovernmental entities can be approved by respective governments.

Up until now all commercial companies have been limited to operations in Earth's orbit, and only governments have sent missions to outer space. Endi