ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Jeff Bezos has a secret plan to colonize the moon — starting with package deliveries

"It is time for America to return to the Moon — this time to stay," Amazon founder Jeff Bezos told The Washington Post.

null

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon as well as a rocket company called Blue Origin, wants to colonize the moon.

That's according to a report from The Washington Post, which obtained a secret memo the billionaire was circulating around the offices of NASA and President Trump's administration. (Bezos owns the Post and invests in Business Insider.)

An early stage of the plan, set to kick off by mid-2020, would begin an "Amazon-like shipment service" to the moon to deliver the cargo astronauts would need to permanently settle the lunar landscape.

Bezos confirmed the document's authenticity to the Post.

ADVERTISEMENT

"It is time for America to return to the Moon — this time to stay," he reportedly told Christian Davenport of the Post. "A permanently inhabited lunar settlement is a difficult and worthy objective. I sense a lot of people are excited about this."

Counting Elon Musk's recent announcement that he'd like to launch two paying customers around the moon in late 2018, Bezos' plans mark the second private lunar mission in the works that's come to light this year.

Musk's giant rocket is called "Falcon Heavy" while Bezos' is called "New Glenn" (named after astronaut John Glenn).

According to an early comparison of both rockets, the first iteration of New Glenn will be taller than the Falcon Heavy, but the latter may have about 30% more thrust.

Both rockets will be partly reusable, theoretically lowering the cost of access to space.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Our vision is millions of people living and working in space, and New Glenn is a very important step. It won't be the last of course," Bezos wrote in an email to Business Insider in September 2016. "Up next on our drawing board: New Armstrong. But that's a story for the future."

Whether Trump and NASA will go for Bezos' proposal remains to be seen. But to make Blue Origin's moon colonization scheme possible, Davenport wrote, the company said it must to pair up with the space agency.

Read Davenport's full story at The Washington Post.

This story has been updated to note Jeff Bezos' ownership of the Post. Bezos is also an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT