LunarCrush Launches Cosmic Bitcoin Treasure Hunt on the Moon
COSTA MESA, Calif., March 23, 2023 – LunarCrush, a social intelligence company, is sending a treasure chest containing 62 Bitcoin (currently worth around $1.5M) to the Earth’s moon. The Bitcoin bounty, called Nakamoto_1, will be unlocked by the first space traveler to reach the moon and obtain the wallet’s private key, which will be etched onto a Lunar Outpost MAPP Rover set to launch into space later this year.
LunarCrush has partnered with Lunar Outpost, a global leader in commercial planetary mobility, to send this lunar treasure chest to the moon. Animation studio Golden Wolf and Bitcoin developer tools company Hiro have joined forces with LunarCrush to bring Nakamoto_1 to life. The technology and design partners have created and will sell an NFT collection to raise funds for the Bitcoin bounty. The aim of this Web3-powered space race is to inspire the next generation of interplanetary exploration.
Joe Vezzani, CEO of LunarCrush, said, “When you put out a seemingly unachievable goal, the innovation that happens can be incredible. Our goal is to inspire people to build communities that will unlock a new era of exploration. We envision classrooms, groups, companies, and even DAOs coming together to reach the Moon and split the treasure chest’s rewards. It’s like Willy Wonka’s ‘golden ticket’ for the Web3 era, and we couldn’t be more excited to see how it all unfolds.”
The process of engraving the private key onto the rover will be fully documented, ensuring transparency and guaranteeing that no one, including the contributing teams, has access to the private keys. Once Lunar Outpost’s MAPP Rover lands on the moon, anyone on Earth can devise a plan to reach it and unlock the digital gold bounty. The rover is scheduled to be transported to the moon in Q4 of this year via a SpaceX rocket, although the exact date has not been disclosed for security reasons.
Dr. Forrest Meyen, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Lunar Outpost, said, “What may sound outlandish to some will open new frontiers that haven’t been explored outside the mind in a long time. Future generations will look to us as pioneers of interplanetary exploration and adventure. As the Google Lunar XPRIZE kickstarted the commercial lunar rover industry, we view Nakamoto_1 as an opportunity to inspire the next generation to overcome challenges in space travel and exploration. LunarCrush is using modern blockchain technology to deliver a treasure instead of organizing a prize committee. This structure incentivizes exploration while unlocking the best of human ingenuity. Lunar Outpost is proud to provide our first-in-history commercial lunar surface transportation to innovative projects like Nakamoto_1.”
To fund the Bitcoin bounty, LunarCrush will sell a special collection of Bitcoin-secured NFTs starting March 28th at lunarcrush.com/nakamoto1. Twenty-five percent of NFT sales will go towards funding the treasure chest, and another twenty-five percent will be allocated to a “Community Marketing Wallet,” supporting Bitcoin core development and STEM education-related causes. The NFTs will be priced at $250 USD. Secondary NFT sales on the Gamma.io marketplace, as well as contributions to the public wallet, will further increase the treasure chest’s value sent to the Moon. Additionally, the teams will inscribe some of the NFT concept art as Ordinals and include them in the treasure chest.
Golden Wolf, an award-winning creative studio known for design and animation, was contracted to create captivating NFTs and imagery ranging from static images to highly animated collectibles that set the tone for the project. Ingi Erlingsson, Founder and CEO of Golden Wolf, said, “We loved the idea that the art could inspire a new generation of young people to look to the stars, like a contemporary version of an Apollo 11 poster on a bedroom wall. We wanted the aesthetic to feel modern and unique, with a hint of vintage sci-fi art.”
Bitcoin was chosen as the treasure chest’s currency because it is the most long-lasting, secure, and future-proof form of money. Hiro provided technical support for creating the Bitcoin-backed NFTs that will fund the treasure chest. “We’re excited to inspire a new generation of space explorers as they make that next small step for the world,” said Alex Miller, CEO of Hiro.
This unique interplanetary treasure hunt will undoubtedly spark creativity, collaboration, and innovation among space enthusiasts and crypto aficionados alike.
