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To the Moon, Not Yet: DOGE-1 Launch Faces Another Delay
- SpaceX is preparing to launch a satellite, DOGE-1, in homage to the popular meme coin, Dogecoin (DOGE).
- Unfortunately, unfavourable weather conditions have been cited in the mission’s latest delay, with the new launch date set for mid-Feb 2024 at the earliest.
- The DOGE-1 expedition is hitching a ride on Intuitive Machine’s lunar exploration mission.
The battle cry of the Dogecoin community has taken on a very literal meaning over the past few months. Typically, the phrase “TO THE MOON!” is in reference to a price chart rocketing upwards, not a literal flight to the Earth’s ghostly friend. But Elon Musk may have taken this advice a bit too literally, as his exploration company SpaceX has begun preparing for their next mission – DOGE-1. Unfortunately, the much-anticipated space voyage has seen another setback after originally being planned for sometime in the last quarter of 2023.
‘Unfavourable Weather Conditions’ the Catalyst for Pushback
The mission to send Dogecoin to the moon has been in play since 2021, when Elon Musk took to Twitter to announce the venture.
Naturally, preparing a spacecraft and setting all the variables in place to explore the world outside the atmosphere is a lengthy and arduous process. At first, the mission was set for Q4 2023. Then, after a delay, the schedule changed to January 12th. However, yet another delay has seen the expedition set to launch sometime around mid-February 2024 – if not later.
The mission is a joint venture between SpaceX, which will be providing the craft, and Geometric Energy Corp. which is in charge of space logistics. Doge-1 will be piggybacking on another mission headed by Intuitive Machines, who plan to land a Nova-C rover that will explore the moon’s south pole.
Unlike IM-1, which may provide valuable insight into the moon’s surface – the goal of launching the DOGE-1 satellite isn’t anything special. Really, the team just wants to put a Dogecoin-themed satellite in orbit around the moon.
It’s basically a meme, but hey, if anything represents modern society’s popular culture better than a million-dollar meme, I’m yet to hear it.
Author
Ben Knight
Ben Knight is a writer and editor from Melbourne with a passion for all things music and finance. He enjoys turning complex topics – especially the technical details of cryptocurrency – into digestible bites that anybody can understand. He acquired his Master’s in Writing, Editing and Publishing from RMIT in 2019 and has run his own creative writing business ever since.
