SpaceX Lunar Mission in 2022 Will Be Paid for in Dogecoin

The future is here: SpaceX will accept payment in dogecoin to launch the lunar mission, "DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon," in the first quarter of 2022. 

The mission will be fully paid for in the meme-inspired cryptocurrency that's been garnering a fair amount of attention since it was first introduced in 2013. 

We've no clue how much the mission will cost in dogecoin, or traditional money, but the news of the world's first-ever commercial payload to be paid for entirely by dogecoin was officially announced on Sunday, May 9, by Geometric Energy Corporation.

Geometric Energy Corporation proudly announces the DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon — the first-ever commercial lunar payload in history paid entirely with DOGE — will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.https://t.co/V43VFLD6sp

— Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC) (@GeometricEnergy) May 9, 2021

Geometric Energy Corporation's DOGE-1 mission to the Moon will involve mission management of Geometric Space Corporation that will collaborate with SpaceX. The plan is to launch an 88 pound (40kg) CubeSat on a SpaceX Falcon 9 spacecraft lunar payload mission early next year.

This event will mark the world's first space mission fully funded by cryptocurrency. Not only that, but it'll also mark the first time a meme will be in space, as Elon Musk excitedly exclaimed in his Twitter post on the subject, which includes a fabulous YouTube video music clip dubbed the "Dogecoin Song - To the Moon" by Herr Fuchs.

SpaceX launching satellite Doge-1 to the moon next year

– Mission paid for in Doge
– 1st crypto in space
– 1st meme in space

To the mooooonnn!!https://t.co/xXfjGZVeUW

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 9, 2021

Both teams are looking forward to the historical mission, and SpaceX Vice President of Commercial Sales Tom Ochinero said "We're excited to launch DOGE-1 to the Moon!"

Ochinero continued by saying "This mission will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and set the foundation for interplanetary commerce."

Dogecoin has gathered a fair amount of prestige, and publicity of late, with special thanks to Musk who seems to enjoy making dogecoin-related remarks on his Twitter account. The latter remarks typically send dogecoin's value either skyrocketing or plunging.

Speaking of cryptocurrencies, these appear to be gathering speed as another method of payment. More and more companies are accepting or looking to accept, some cryptocurrencies as forms of payment in exchange for their goods. 

For instance, it comes as little surprise that Musk's other company, Tesla, already accepts Bitcoin as a method of payment for its EVs. Other big names include eBay, who mentioned they were looking into cryptocurrencies as future methods of payments, too.

Now, we can expect to see cryptocurrency paying for part of a mission to send payloads up to the Moon. Pretty neat.