One of the most difficult issues facing every team is funding. No matter how you slice it, this mission is likely to cost more than the prize purse. That's a hard pill to swallow for your average venture capitalist.
Wouldn't it be nice if there was already a built in consumer base that needed to purchase multiple vehicles in the near future?
Perhaps a nine nation consortium that wished to create a constellation of nodes on the surface of the moon to be used to gather scientific data, etc.?
Something, perhaps, like this...
http://www.livescience.com/blogs/2008/07/24/lunar-networking-multi-natio...
Hmmm ... potential sales of multiple craft to several different customers. Now this just might add a bit of candy coating to that pill.
Comments?
Bookmark/Search this post with:
ILN News release
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/jul/HQ_08190_NASA_hosts_ILN.html
Major aerospace companies
Major aerospace companies typically are not interested in speculative ventures. They have a responsibility to their shareholders to maximize profits and that drives them toward established markets and government contracts.
Funding is a major issue. I
Funding is a major issue. I work for a major aerospace company and I've been trying to get my company to support our unofficial team. We have studied the idea of some sort of lunar communications system. It's been a tough sell. My company currently has a very narrow business focus and it will be incredible difficult to get them to see our vision.