Bitcoin Fortune Available For Anyone But It’s Going To Be A Long Trip
A company called LunarCrush will be sending bitcoin to the Moon by engraving a passcode to a crypto wallet on its rover.
A company called LunarCrush will be sending bitcoin to the Moon by engraving a passcode to a crypto wallet on its rover, set to launch to the lunar south pole. Gizmodo reports that later this year, a SpaceX rocket will carry the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform, aka MAPP Lunar Rover rover to the Moon, landing it there for a thankfully more scientific purpose than drawing cryptocurrency pirates into literal orbit: bringing the Internet to the lunar surface. The plan for the mission is to test mobile communications signals on the Moon’s surface, as part of a bid to establish the first 4G network in space.
The rocket bringing bitcoin to the Moon was designed by Lunar Outpost, which has been making physical payload space and sponsorship opportunities available on its lunar lander for some time, and has also been attempting to commoditize space by selling NFTs. While this scheme might be a way to help fund the mission at present, crypto values vary wildly, so the 62 bitcoin in the wallet, currently stated to be worth $1.5 million, could tank in value or—ahem—skyrocket by the time of the launch, let alone by some future date when someone can get to the Moon to retrieve the passcode. For that presently incredibly fanciful goal to be cost-effective, of course, bitcoin would have to become basically the most valuable investment in existence.
As Gizmodo reports, Joe Vezzanni, CEO of LunarCrush, said the bitcoin launch to the Moon was planned as a way to encourage innovation in space travel by creating an “unachievable goal.” We think the real unachievable goal might be rescuing cryptocurrencies from their association with environmental irresponsibility, unpredictable instability, and financial crime, but any effort toward the advancement of space travel is a good thing, right? LunarCrush certainly hopes so as it works to bring wi-fi to our nearest neighbor in our solar system.
That might sound nearly as useless as putting bitcoin on the Moon at first blush, but it serves an important scientific purpose. As NASA continues its push to the Moon begun by the unmanned Artemis I a few months ago, it wants to improve communication on the lunar surface and between astronauts and mission control, with the 4G network allowing live video streams and real-time communication with Earth. This would be a leap forward in NASA’s ability to communicate with its scientific exploration teams once human beings are again setting foot on the Moon.
Putting bitcoin on the Moon might be a lesser goal, but we have to admit it’s got us thinking and talking about the very real scientific and exploratory purposes of lunar missions. The Moon has lots to share with us, from strange glass beads that might contain water to the possibility of growing plants to, as Star Trek predicted, a place to live. We think all the research, exploration, and technological advancement involved in reaching the Moon is a lot more interesting and important than advancing crypto piracy to ridiculous levels, but if putting bitcoin on the Moon can in any way help scientific efforts, we say go right ahead.
