Dr. Barney Pell, founder of Powerset, with his two co-founders, Naveen Jain (InfoSpace) and Dr. Robert (Bob) Richards (International Space University)  have started a new company called Moon Express to develop a space vehicle that will allow the company to tap into mineral resources on the lunar surface.

Moon Express describes itself as a “lunar transportation and data services company created to establish new avenues for commercial space activities beyond Earth orbit” and “will be sending a series of robotic spacecraft to the Moon for ongoing exploration and commercial development. Our big play is to develop a robotic lander to transport things to (and from) the Moon,” Pell said.

“There is eventually going to be a Moon rush, because there are a lot of resources on the Moon that we will need,” said Pell. Resources like platinum and other metals that are needed for fuel cells and the post-fossil fuel economy. “In the future we want to be able to land the payloads and machines and bring things back,” said Pell. “We want to be the last mile to the Moon.”