Effort to crowdfund a moon rocket lags as time runs short

(credit: Moonspike)

An effort to crowdfund a moon rocket has until Sunday to raise most of the $1 million its founders say they need to kick the project off. The Moonspike initiative seeks to build a 22-ton, liquid-fueled rocket to launch a small spacecraft to the moon’s surface. As of Friday afternoon, the group had raised about $116,000.

The venture’s co-founders are Kristian von Bengtson, who made his name as the lead spacecraft designer and flight director for Copenhagen Suborbitals, and entrepreneur Chris Larmour.

Copenhagen Suborbitals was an amateur, part-time venture to launch rockets to about 100km, so von Bengtson said he was attracted to Moonspike because it is a full-time initiative.

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