Moon Travel is Getting Cheaper

Moon Express wants to send you into outer space. During an interview on the FOX Business Network’s Varney & Co., co-founder and chairman Naveen Jain outlined the company’s plan to monetize the moon.

“To rephrase John F. Kennedy, we chose to go to the moon not because it’s easy but because it’s a good business. And what makes it a good business is that there are $16 quadrillion worth of minerals on the moon. The cost of going to the moon used to be billions of dollars, now the cost of our mission to the moon is going to be under $10 million,” he explained.

While the space industry is notorious for immense research and development expenses, Moon Express has managed to keep costs low.

“The total cost from the company’s inception to the first landing on the moon is going to be under $50 million. And that means including developing everything. Going forward, the cost is going to be $10 million [per mission]. And that’s what makes it a great business,” he said.

Moon Express just became the first private company given permission by the U.S. government to leave the Earth’s orbit and go to the moon, representing an immense victory for mankind.

“Not only is it a great business, but we can bring back Helium 3, an isotope of helium that has no radioactive activity, which means it can power this planet for generations to come. But even more importantly, the moon has water, which is hydrogen and oxygen. That means rocket fuel and a fuel for humanity.”

Jain says he sees humans inhabiting the moon in the near future.

“One day, when we settle down on the moon, we can have oxygen and rocket fuel to come back. That means now, you can start to have a real honeymoon—taking your honey to the moon,” he said.