Moon Express to send lander to the lunar surface in historic move

A Florida-based company has won U.S. government permission to send a robotic lander to the moon next year. The move is the first time the United States has cleared a private space mission to fly beyond Earth's orbit. The Federal Aviation Administration's unprecedented go-ahead for the Moon Express mission also sets a legal and regulatory framework for a host of other commercial expeditions to the moon, asteroids and Mars. The Florida-based company Moon Express, which is partnering with Nasa, hopes to send scientific payloads to the Moon, in the hopes to eventually provide commercial services. Artist's impression of Moon Express lander on surface of the moon pictured The moon is a'treasure chest' of lucrative materials.