Washington, Dec 6 - Today, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) issued the following statement congratulating Golden Spike, a privately funded American company, on their announced plans for privately-funded, commercial, human exploration of the Moon by 2020:

“I applaud Golden Spike’s announcement today of plans for commercial manned trips to the Moon using existing launch vehicles and near-term technologies such as orbital fuel depots. I label this challenging enterprise as a cutting-edge example of America’s can-do spirit that will keep America conquering new frontiers and opening new markets the way our founding fathers intended us to be.

“The Golden Spike team is comprised of some of our best and brightest NASA veterans. They know the challenges inherent in space travel, but they believe it is time for commercial activity to be expanded to the surface of the Moon. Their vision aligns with my belief that Earth orbit and the Moon can be accessed and used by private groups, freeing NASA up to pursue its core mission - exploring space and expanding our reach into the solar system.

“The future looks bright as more and more American space entrepreneurs are looking to the skies and pursuing possibilities."

Rep. Rohrabacher is currently a senior member of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.