DHL has launched a new specialized service that will enable customers to send small packages to the Moon as part of the first privately funded lunar mission.
Measuring up to 1in in diameter, the honeycomb-shaped DHL MoonBoxes will be carried by Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander and will be left in a closed container on the lander itself. The Moon mission is scheduled for launch in 2019.
Dan Hendrickson, vice president of development at Astrobotic, said, “Our commercial lunar mission is giving institutions and countries around the world their first opportunity to reach the Moon, and at a historically low cost.”
Arjan Sissing, senior vice president, corporate brand marketing, Deutsche Post DHL Group, said, “For DHL, being part of the first commercial space logistics service is an exciting and inspiring experience. This means that we are not only part of a breakthrough project for research and science the DHL MoonBox is also our very first extraterrestrial offering for consumers.”
Interested customers can purchase their MoonBox from the Astrobotic website for US$460 for a 0.5 x 0.125in box and US$1,660 for a full-size 1 x 1in box. Additional sizes are available on request.
DHL will be in charge of the outbound delivery and transport to Astrobotic in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where the packages will be stored for safekeeping until the first lunar mission. In the meantime, the senders will receive regular updates regarding the project’s progress all the way up to the Moon landing.
Each customer will also receive a photograph showing their DHL MoonBox being loaded into the transport capsule. There are also plans for a live broadcast of the 2019 mission.
DHL is the official logistics partner of the aerospace outfit and will transport the Peregrine Lunar Lander from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the launch site in Florida. A true-to-scale prototype of the lunar lander is currently on display at the Post Tower in Bonn, Germany, and will later be on permanent display at the DHL Innovation Center in Troisdorf.
July 14, 2017