NASA Starts Taking Contracts for Moon Mining Robot Operation

While the concept of mining the Moon is still in its early stages, NASA have begun to accept applications from private companies who are seeking to do just that. Out of the applicants, NASA will select one company to create a prospecting robot which can be send to the moon to begin mining the Lunar surface.

There are lots of valuable things said to be on the Moon, especially helium 3 which is in abundance, but it is also said to be packed full of rare Earth metals, or should that be Moon metals?

The new proposal does raise some major concerns over lunar property rights, which are supposed to be non-existent as the 1967 Outer Space Treaty of the United Nations says no country can lay claim to the Moon, so does anyone have the right to mine there under that treaty?

The project will not get any funding from the government, but it is another step towards NASA finding its own profitable routes and projects that could one day help it break ties with the government and privatize its self.

Thank you Geeky Gadgets for providing us with this information.

Image courtesy of Geeky Gadgets.