FAA-led interagency payload review: Moon Express MX-1E (2016)

Country

United States

Authority

U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA AST), after consultation with the White House, State Department, NASA and other agencies (per company)

Instrument

Favorable payload determinationfavorable payload determination (FAA FY2016 report)

Holder

Moon Express, Inc.Named on the instrument as Moon Express, Inc.

Granted

2016

Recorded status

GrantedThe FAA FY2016 report confirms the favorable payload determination for MX-1E. Company releases describe the application and interagency consultation; the original determination letter and its exact date, conditions, and subsequent disposition have not been retrieved. Current validity is not confirmed by an official register.

Linked mission

Moon Express MX-1E first lunar mission (Google Lunar XPRIZE attempt)Not flown (stalled)

Legal basis

U.S. Commercial Space Launch Activities (51 U.S.C. chapter 509) - payload review authority

Provisions cited

51 U.S.C. 50904(c) (payload review); implementing FAA payload-review regulation of 2016 not retrieved

Company states: approval of its proposed 2017 lunar mission via its 'Mission Approval' arrangement using existing payload review and launch license processes, with voluntary disclosures. The FAA annual report confirms the favorable payload determination but does not reproduce its conditions. This instrument is not recorded as a resource-extraction or resource-ownership authorization.

The company describes this as the first U.S. government approval of a private mission beyond Earth orbit (company claim). The regulator has not been found to say so.

• Original FAA payload determination letter (signatory, full conditions and scope) not retrieved; the FAA annual report corroborates the act but not those details.
• Exact date of the determination: the company announced it on 3 August 2016; the FAA decision date may be earlier.
• The MX-1E mission never launched (see Moon Express MX-1E first lunar mission (Google Lunar XPRIZE attempt)); whether the determination was ever formally closed or lapsed is not documented.

changes to this record's facts, newest first

1. [1]U.S. Government Approves Plan for Moon Express to become First Private Company to Venture Beyond Earth's Orbit (archived company release, 3 August 2016)
   Moon Express, Inc. (archived by Internet Archive)Company statementPublished 2016-08-03Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: scope, instrument type, legal basis ids

   The framework of the interagency approval surrounds Moon Express' proposed 'Mission Approval' arrangement that utilizes existing payload review and launch license processes under authorities of the Secretary of Transportation, and adds to them a series of voluntary disclosures intended to provide the Federal Government with sufficient information to help fulfill its supervisory obligations under the Outer Space Treaty.

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
2. [2]Moon Express release - interagency consultation
   Moon Express, Inc. (archived by Internet Archive)Company statementPublished 2016-08-03Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: authority, date granted

   Moon Express received the green light for pursuing its 2017 lunar mission following in depth consultations with the FAA, the White House, the State Department, NASA and other federal agencies.

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
3. [3]Moon Express release - first-of-kind claim
   Moon Express, Inc. (archived by Internet Archive)Company statementPublished 2016-08-03Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: first of kind

   Moon Express has become the first private company approved to literally go out of this world as a pioneer of commercial space missions beyond Earth's orbit.

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
4. [4]Moon Express Becomes First Private Company in History to Initiate a Commercial Lunar Mission Approval Process with the U.S. Government (archived company release, 8 April 2016)
   Moon Express, Inc. (archived by Internet Archive)Company statementPublished 2016-04-08Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: instrument type, scope

   Moon Express made history as the first private space company to request the U.S government to conduct a payload review of its spacecraft and plans leading to regulatory approval of a commercial mission to the Moon in 2017.

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
5. [5]Moon Express April 2016 release - submission to FAA AST
   Moon Express, Inc. (archived by Internet Archive)Company statementPublished 2016-04-08Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: authority

   Moon Express initiated the review process through a submission to the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA AST)

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
6. [6]51 U.S.C. 50904(c) (payload review authority)
   Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of RepresentativesLegislationAccessed 2026-09-25Supports: legal basis idsarticle 51 U.S.C. 50904(c)

   The Secretary of Transportation shall establish whether all required licenses, authorizations, and permits required for a payload have been obtained.

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
7. [7]FAA FY 2016 Performance and Accountability Report: aviation timeline
   Federal Aviation AdministrationGovernment recordAccessed 2026-09-26Supports: summary, status basis, instrument type, instrument native namepage 11

   FAA makes a favorable payload determination for the Moon Express MX-1E mission

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.