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Pittsburgh-based aerospace company, Astrobotic Technology, is on a mission to democratize access to the moon by commercializing lunar infrastructure. It all comes down to the success of space landers like the Peregrine Lander, also described as a ‘Lunar FedEx.’

This lander will operate as a delivery service from the Earth to the moon, carrying a variety of cargo from companies, governments, universities, nonprofits and individuals.

“The amount of precision and the amount of engineering required to get every gram of performance out of this vehicle is tremendous,” Astrobotic CEO John Thornton said.

Equipped with its own electronics, propulsion and communications systems, the Peregrine Lander will be loaded aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket, scheduled for launch later this year.

A successful landing would mark a major milestone in the private space race, with Astrobotic Technology becoming the first commercial company to land on the moon.

The NEXT Big Thing is the social companion to our big bold series NEXT.

To see the full NEXT episode: Colonizing the Moon, click here.

You can read Akiko Fujita’s article: ‘The stars have aligned’: Commercial space companies brace for lunar economy here.

To learn more about how to invest in the space industry, click here.

To watch the debut episode of NEXT – Samsung vs Apple: An inside look at the smartphone wars, click here. Be sure to tune in to Yahoo Finance every Monday at 10 a.m. ET.