Unmanned commercial craft to the moon?

[PeterNSteinmetz]

Two companies will attempt the first US moon landings since the Apollo missions a half-century ago

Two private companies are aiming to get the U.S. back in the moon-landing business, more than five decades after the Apollo program ended.

apnews.com

 

[Winthrop]

Is it possible that this is more of a PR stunt?

The problem is that a private company seems to have little economic incentive to got to the moon. Granted there are clearly some mining opportunities, but that cost of that extraction would seem to far outweigh the cost at this time?

 

[Jim Logajan]

Is it possible that this is more of a PR stunt?

The problem is that a private company seems to have little economic incentive to got to the moon. Granted there are clearly some mining opportunities, but that cost of that extraction would seem to far outweigh the cost at this time?

One company is after prize money:
"Astrobotic Technology inc., commonly referred to as Astrobotic is an American private company that is developing space robotics technology for lunar and planetary missions. It was founded in 2007 by Carnegie Mellon professor Red Whittaker and his associates with the goal of winning the Google Lunar X Prize." -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrobotic_Technology

The other has secured NASA contracts:
"Intuitive Machines, Inc. is a publicly-traded American company headquartered in Houston, Texas. It was founded in 2013 by Stephen Altemus, Kam Ghaffarian, and Tim Crain. The company is completing its lunar program which will provide lunar surface access, lunar orbit delivery, and communications at lunar distance. Intuitive Machines holds three NASA contracts, under the space agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, to deliver payloads to the lunar surface." -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intuitive_Machines