The Kennedy II Project, also known as K2LX, was created in June 2003 as a partnership between private investors and a consortium of independent aerospace contractors in the United States, Europe and Asia.
The goal of the project is to establish operational bases on the Moon for
scientific study, tourism, manufacturing and resource development, using public
and private (non-governmental) funding to accomplish their goals.The directors of K2LX have committed to establishing a permanent human-occupied base on the Moon by 2015. As part of their agreement with the Lunar Republic Society, K2LX settlements will create the legal basis for ownership of property on the Moon for those who have purchased land claims through The Lunar Registry.
Under this plan, at least 95% of all profits from land claim sales by The Lunar Registry will go directly into the K2LX operating budget.
"Space law experts agree that actual occupation of the Moon is the only legal method for ownership of land on the Moon," said David Ferrell Jackson, managing director of the Lunar Republic Society. "We have long sought a partner such as K2LX that is ready to go forward with a plan to get our partners to the Moon in exchange for our support."
Calling upon the original spirit invoked by the late U.S. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (1917-1963) that led to the first human landing on the Moon, the organizers of K2LX are teaming with established aerospace suppliers, including commercial launch vehicle manufacturers, equipment contractors and mission facilities providers, to develop a safe, realistic and financially viable program to return humans to the Moon.
The first phase of the program shall culminate in a successful unmanned mission to the Moon by 2013, and the placement of communications satellites in orbit around Luna. The second phase will include a successful manned mission to the Moon and the establishment of permanent settlements on the Moon by 2015. Phase three will result in the construction of permanent structures, including housing, landing/launch ports, observatories and other scientific facilities, and the commencement of resource development by 2020.
K2LX directors are currently studying locations for the first proposed Lunar settlements in the Moon's Sea of Tranquility (Mare Tranquillitatis), near where the first manned landing occurred in 1969, as well as sites in the Sea of Cold (Mare Frigoris) and the Sea of Rains (Mare Imbrium). Plans for the initial unmanned landing are already in the advanced stages.
While initial funding for K2LX has come from private investment, the Lunar Republic Society plan expects to raise more than $3.5-billion over the course of the decade-long program through land claim sales. While the directors of K2LX expect to raise additional capital through venture funding and entitlements, the program's long-term plan � which does not involve taxpayer funds � will rely on public support from organizations such as Lunar Republic.
"The time for talk is over," Jackson said. "It's time to move beyond fantasy and into reality. We've waited more than thirty years to get back to the Moon, and now we've got the perfect opportunity to replace words with deeds."
With this announcement, the Lunar Republic Society also relaunched its open membership campaign, which had been on hold since earlier this Summer. The new program includes a number of benefits for new members, as well as for those who joined the organization previously. Among the members-only benefits are an electronic newsletter that will provide updates on the K2LX Project as well as other Lunar Republic Society activities.
"We currently have more than 400,000 partners around the world who are committed to the future of Lunar exploration, settlement and development, and we're growing each and every day," said Jackson. "We're a powerful organization with the potential to create precisely the type of results we've been planning for the past four years."
Kennedy II Project Website: http://www.kennedyproject.com
Lunar Republic Society Website: http://www.lunarrepublic.com
The Lunar Registry Website: http://www.lunarregistry.com