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Startup Company Ran by Ex NASA Boss Wants To Do Things Near the Moon

A startup company wants to build robotic outposts near the Moon. Their end goal is to have multiple such outposts near the Earth's natural satellite, and then provide assorted services to those who engage in space tourism or space exploration. Think of spacecraft refueling, Internet connectivity, and many more.
Artist' rendering of robotic spacecraft near the Moon 6 photos
Photo: Quantum Space
A July 2012 Moonrise over Mt. Everts near Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National ParkFull MoonFull MoonFull MoonHarvest Moon
At first, it may seem far-fetched, but this startup company is run by a former NASA administrator, Steve Jurczyk. He was NASA's associate administrator starting in 2018, and then became the agency's administrator after the inauguration of President Joe Biden. Last May, Jurczyk retired from NASA, but could not leave Space behind him.

Instead of just looking up, he teamed up with three entrepreneurs who are also experts in the space industry, and then created a new company.
Based in Maryland, Quantum Space is focused on the Moon and things related to it.

Coincidentally, NASA is also interested in the Moon, so the startup has its sights on a tangible target and has presented a few ideas on how it can help others and also generate revenue for itself.

Quantum Space's CEO and President, Steve Jurczyk, stated that he and his colleagues have envisioned multiple types of vehicles that can be built in the coming years, as SpaceNews notes. The first of them is described as a robotic outpost, which would operate as a communications relay.

As its creators explain, the area between regular Earth orbits and the Moon could use a system like the Internet. Coincidentally, NASA has already thought about the matter, and their proposal was called LunaNET, and it was an internet-like system for the Moon. Jurczyk believes that the company he is running could get involved in the field.

Moreover, the robotic outpost might collect data from the Moon, as well as provide assistance when ships would require refueling or even store packages that might be moved from one party to another, like in a relay race, but in space.

While NASA might be its first big customer, Quantum Space might also be contacted by other firms involved in space tourism. Since the latter is still in its infancy, and only consists of brief orbits of the Earth at an incredibly high price, there is room for development in both directions.
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Editor's note: For illustration purposes, the photo gallery shows images of the Moon.

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About the author: Sebastian Toma
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Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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