SpaceX and GSC's expedition will be funded via the meme dog cryptocurrency, which is bidding to be the first currency for inter-planet exchanges.
Elon Musk plans to fund SpaceX's next mission to the Moon via dogecoin. Specifically, it is the "DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon" project. If the name of the billionaire alone wasn't enough to make the enterprise exciting, here comes the announcement of the currency with which the expedition will be financed: it is the cryptocurrency "dogecoin", to which Musk himself has made a roller coaster of statements first in favor, then against.
The exceptional testimonial of dogecoin is the Shiba-Inu (a breed of Japanese dog) of memes. This confirms the semi-serious spirit of the internet, which is nevertheless able to contribute to extraordinary enterprises and create transnational cultural phenomena.
What is the lunar enterprise of SpaceX and GSC
Geometric Energy Corporation's DOGE-1 is the full name of the lunar mission born from the collaboration between Geometric Space Corporation (GSC) and SpaceX. A Falcon 9-type rocket, fully paid for by Geometric Energy Corporation and scheduled for launch in the first quarter of 2022, will be used to accomplish the goal of sending a probe to our satellite, equipped with cameras and sensors.
"This mission will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and lay the groundwork for interplanetary commerce," said Tom Ochinero, SpaceX's vice president of sales.
What dogecoin is and why everyone is talking about it (especially Elon Musk)
Even before launching on the Moon, DOGE (which stands for dogecoin) can already boast its own place in virtual currency history. Starting from a value of a quarter of a cent in 2013, when it was created as a joke just inspired by a meme, it has then had a growth of 20,000% since its value in May 2020. The peak of 72 cents came in the day last Saturday. Then the collapse, following the statements of Musk, who on Saturday Night Live had called it a hoax, and the further rise to 50 cents after the news of the lunar trip.
From words to deeds: online there is an address that has been buying dogecoins since 2019, when their value was 30 thousand times lower than the current one of 0.50 cents and that over time has accumulated 36.7 billion dogecoins. For an equivalent of $26 billion at Monday's peak and $18 billion after Saturday's thud and current week's rise. That Musk is behind the operation? It is a hypothesis that cannot be verified. But the suspicion is legitimate, because back in April the billionaire had expressed his intention to prove that cryptocurrency could also work in space.
According to the venture's backers, DOGE "has proven to be a fast, reliable and cryptographically secure digital currency that works when traditional banks can't" and is sophisticated enough to fully fund a commercial lunar mission.
The dogecoin will then be the unit of account for all transactions between the companies involved in the expedition.
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Giuseppe Giordano