A crypto wallet traveling to the moon won’t be able to reach its goal
Bitcoin is on the way to the moon as a cryptocurrency wallet containing 1 BTC was put onboard with astronauts in the lunar rocket Vulcan Centaur. The spaceship was launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and was set to reach the moon on February 23. However, the vehicle suffered a mechanical failure that will prevent it from landing.
BitMEX Crypto exchange organized the mission to land a physical Bitcoin on the moon, announcing BTC’s space journey on May 18, 2023. It said at the time that the physical BTC is also a crypto wallet holding at least 1 BTC.
HAPPENING NOW: Our $BTC is off to the Moon on board @ulalaunch’s #VulcanRocket 🚀
Watch the launch live on our Twitch here 👉 https://t.co/pX7SSoyXC5#MoonBTC #BitcoinToTheMoon #BitMEX pic.twitter.com/bdr8sv56vO
— BitMEX (@BitMEX) January 8, 2024
The exchange says the Bitcoin would have had a public vanity address, where the public could send extra Bitcoin and see it redeemed once someone could pick it up. “The coin will be a registered payload on the Peregrine-1 manifest, and will remain in situ on the Moon’s surface until any enterprising soul goes to collect it,” said BitMEX in a statement before the launch.
BitMEX CEO Stephan Lutz said in a press release that Bitcoin on the moon is a “time capsule” that captures one of human history’s most noteworthy innovations. “I’m excited to see what lies ahead for decentralized finance where financial systems transcend earthly boundaries and empower individuals across the cosmos.”
BitMEX’s endeavor to send Bitcoin into space capitalizes on the phrase “to the moon,” which is often used by traders to express their hopes for a bullish crypto market. However, this crypto will return to Earth without ever touching the lunar surface.
The Peregrine Mission One was scheduled to be the first moon landing for the US since the Apollo program, which first put a man on the moon in 1969. A failure that is still being evaluated will keep it from reaching its destination.
