BitMEX is partnering with Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic, Bitcoin Magazine, and Oxcart Assembly to pioneer a mission to transport physical Bitcoin (BTC) to the moon.
This event is the culmination of plans first announced in May 2023. A civilian-built spacecraft is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Monday, January 8, at 2:18 a.m. ET.
Approximately $45,000 worth of physical Bitcoins will be launched on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket and integrated into the commercial lunar lander Peregrine 1.
Monday's launch is the first of several. A first for Peregrine. The first private spacecraft in history gently landed on the moon. and the first Western soft landing on the moon since the 1970s.
According to BitMEX CEO Stephan Lutz, its mission is to: represents We looked back at the historical evolution of Bitcoin and blockchain technology and highlighted the possibility of establishing an extraterrestrial financial system.
Following its initial orbit around Earth, the rocket is expected to put Peregrine 1 into lunar orbit, with an estimated arrival date of February 23rd.
During the seven-week lunar orbit, viewers around the world will have access to live broadcasts via NASA TV.
Lutz expressed his excitement for the project, noting that Bitcoin on the Moon is a time capsule of technological innovation and human achievement, and represents a new era of decentralized finance.
According to Finance Feeds, BitMEX co-founder Samuel Reid. echoed Lutz's impressions. The mission is aimed at inspiring a new generation of pioneers to venture into the uncharted territory of technology and finance, he said.
Meanwhile, ULA's owners Lockheed Martin and Boeing are reportedly getting closer. sale A launch company based in Colorado. Blue Origin, the space company owned by Jeff Bezos, is also rumored to be interested in a buyer.
Dogecoin goes to the moon too
BitMEX's mission is not the first of its kind. In November 2023, the Dogecoin (DOGE) team physical DOGE To the moon.
The physical meme coin is part of Astrobotic's first Peregrine Mission (PM1), which will deliver 21 payloads from a variety of stakeholders, including governments, businesses, universities, and NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services Initiative was.
Additionally, the shipment was to include an original Bitcoin block known as Genesis Block, a venture sponsored by Bitcoin Magazine.
Previously, Dogecoin was tied to SpaceX's moon mission, which was funded by DOGE tokens. It is a project of the Canadian company Geometric Energy Corporation, which has declared it the first commercial lunar lander fully funded by DOGE. Nevertheless, SpaceX's mission was postponed and rescheduled for a January 2024 launch.
BitMEX's mission to send physical Bitcoin to the moon may be an exciting development, but the cryptocurrency exchange's founder and former CEO Arthur Hayes recently predicted a bearish trend. Hayes expects Bitcoin to see a significant correction of 20% to 30% from expected returns, especially if the Spot Bitcoin ETF starts trading in the US.
on the blog post Published days before the planned launch of a physical Bitcoin to the moon, Hayes wrote that he was preparing for “a vicious exodus of all crypto tourists this March.” . As such, he said he will not purchase BTC until well after March.
At the time of this report, the coin is trading at $43,894, representing a price increase of 0.2% over the past 24 hours and 3.6% over the past 7 days.
