- SpaceX is launching the "DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon" mission in early 2022, accepting Dogecoin as payment.
- Vice president of commercial sales of the aerospace manufacturer said DOGE-1 would prove the use of cryptocurrencies beyond earth.
- The announcement comes after Elon Musk made his "Saturday Night Live" debut as the meme-inspired crypto plunged by over 30%.
The meme-based cryptocurrency has gained further traction as Elon Musk’s SpaceX will be launching a new Dogecoin-paid mission.
DOGE goes to the literal moon
“DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon” will launch in the first quarter of 2022, with SpaceX receiving Dogecoin as payment. Musk previously hinted at this development on April Fool’s Day, stating that “SpaceX is going to put a literal Dogecoin on the literal moon.”
SpaceX vice president of commercial sales Tom Ochinero said:
This mission will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and set the foundation for interplanetary commerce.
Manufacturing and logistics firm Geometric Energy Corporation announced that DOGE-1 would be flying a 40-kilogram cube satellite as payload on a Falcon 9 rocket. The firm said the payload is designed to “obtain lunar-spatial intelligence from sensors and cameras on-board with integrated communications and computational systems.” Geometric Energy CEO Samuel Reid added:
Having officially transacted with DOGE for a deal of this magnitude, Geometric Energy Corporation and SpaceX have solidified DOGE as a unit of account for lunar business in the space sector.
Despite the push for the meme-inspired cryptocurrency in the announcement, neither firm has specified how Dogecoin would be used to fund the mission.
The meme-based cryptocurrency, currently the fifth-largest digital asset by market capitalization, has plunged from an all-time high of $0.73 to a low of $0.43 after Musk’s appearance on “Saturday Night Live.” Prior to his debut, Dogecoin has surged massively over the past month, pushing DOGE’s market value to $70 billion.
Musk coined himself as “The Dogefather” on Twitter and stated that the cryptocurrency “as real as” the US dollar. Although the billionaire CEO believes that Dogecoin is an “unstoppable financial vehicle that is going to take over the world,” he has cautioned his Twitter followers to invest responsibly.