Rima Marius Announces Plans For Crewed Moon Mission

Online, August 9, 2013 (Newswire.com) - Today a group of space entrepreneurs announced plans to return to the Moon. "It's been 40 years since Apollo 17, the last crewed mission to the Moon", said Joel Ammons, Founder and General Manager of Rima Marius, a private start-up in the foothills of Colorado in the United States. "It's time to go back."

The group has been working on the plans for a crewed expedition to the Marius Hills region of Oceanus Procellarum, an area of rolling hills and sinuous rilles, for the past two years. The specific target is the Marius 'Pit', a deep hole that could possibly be an entry point into a collapsed lava tube, and potentially an area suitable for a long-term moon base.

By using existing and near-term technologies, the team at Rima Marius believes they can initially deploy a pair of robots to construct a habitat using 3D printing technology. Once complete, another launch would deliver the crew for a mission that could last as long as 75 days. Total cost - $2.5 Billion.

"The technical challenges are huge," says Mr. Ammons, "but the financial challenges even more so."

To cover these costs, Rima Marius has organized a private investment fund to provide long term financing in addition to a crowdfunding campaign for seed capital. By combining private investment with public seed funding, Mr. Ammons believes the group has established a financial model that will not only pay for the planned mission, but additional missions in the future.

"Our goal isn't simply to return to the Moon," said Mr. Ammons. "It's to develop a sustainable exploration program for years to come. More importantly, we want to get people excited about space exploration again. Robotic missions are great for general science, but it's the human element that captures our imagination."