The Peregrine 1 spacecraft launched early Monday from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying 20 payloads, including one called the “Bitcoin Genesis Plate.”
Also included is a private key engraved on a physical 43-gram coin with a public vanity address – 1MoonBTCixFH3XTrWRCbMpK23o74nQrA1Q – and is considered “the first financial asset ever sent to the moon.”
The Bitcoin wallet is a partnership between derivatives exchange BitMEX, robotics company Astrobotic Technology, Bitcoin Magazine and Oxcart Assembly and contains 1 Bitcoin (BTC).
As of 8:30 a.m. ET, Bitcoin could rise to just above $45,000 in Monday trading.
Bitcoin Magazine's Genesis plate contains a copy of the Genesis block, the first Bitcoin block mined just over 15 years ago.
Read more: Bitcoin’s “Genesis” transaction block was created 15 years ago
The Vulcan rocket lifted off at about 2:18 a.m. ET after a years-long development process, loaded with international payloads from seven countries, and is expected to begin the first commercial landing on the moon.
A seven-week journey will put the spacecraft on track for the moon landing on Friday, February 23rd.
Trajectory of Peregrine 1 | Source: BitMEX / Astrobiotic
The mission is not the first to attempt a commercial lunar landing. In April 2019, the Israeli spacecraft Beresheet, developed by SpaceIL and Israel Aerospace Industries, crashed during its landing attempt.
Last year, social intelligence company LunarCrush announced it would send a treasure chest containing 62 Bitcoins to the moon by the end of 2023 in a similar ploy. However, no start date had been set as of December.
According to BitMEX CEO Stephan Lutz, Peregrine 1’s cargo is symbolic of Bitcoiner’s aspirations to “create a monetary system for a space economy.”
“Bitcoin on the Moon is a time capsule that captures one of the most significant human innovations and technological advances,” he said in a statement.
“BitMEX invites the crypto community and future generations to interact with the physical coin, be it on Earth or in space, allowing individuals to send personal messages and their own satoshis to the moon,” the company said.
It's a fun gimmick, but without a moon-based Bitcoin full node connected to the internet, such interaction is still technically a purely terrestrial affair.
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