TransOrbital
TransOrbital is a California-based company which became the first private company granted permission by the U.S. government to explore, photograph, and land on the moon.[1][2] The company has been covered in over 2,000 news articles worldwide, and announced a sponsorship agreement with Hewlett-Packard in 2003. The company planned to launch the TrailBlazer lunar orbiter, which was proposed as the first privately-financed science mission to the Moon.
TransOrbital launched a test spacecraft into orbit in 2002 aboard a Dnepr launch vehicle. The satellite is a 420 kg (930 lb) test article that orbits the earth every 97 minutes.[3]
External links
- Official website
- Wired Magazine: The Race Back to the Moon
- CNN: Private moon venture given U.S. clearance
References
- ^ "National Geographic News". National Geographic. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- ^ "BBC: Moon opens for business". BBC News. September 10, 2002. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
- ^ "Orbital Elements for Trailblazer Satellite". Heavens Above Orbit Tracking. Retrieved February 21, 2011.