Send Frank to Space Mission UPDATE

This week, we hosted a pivotal MoonDAO Town Hall focused on the “Send Frank to Space” campaign.

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Having successfully raised over $170,000 for the mission, our team has been busy over the past 30 days, actively engaged in negotiations with nearly a dozen suborbital and stratospheric carriers across three continents.

The primary takeaway from these discussions is that no stratospheric balloon company is commercially operational yet; every provider is still navigating hardware development and testing under genuine uncertainty. While a suborbital contract with Virgin Galactic is on the table, we currently only have enough capital to cover the initial deposit, meaning a suborbital flight would require extended fundraising.

To determine the best course of action, the community is being asked to read the report, watch the town hall, and weigh in on three distinct paths forward:

• Option A: commit immediately to a single stratospheric seat for Frank and defer the candidate seat,
• Option B: keep options open, place refundable deposits, and continue fundraising for two seats, or
• Option C: activate full pro-rata refunds for all contributors.

No binding vote is happening yet; instead, members are encouraged to join the MoonDAO Discord to share feedback on these paths (or others) and the team's evaluation framework before a formal, token-weighted vote is launched.

• Watch the full briefing: Check out the Town Hall update video on YouTube to hear the potential flight paths and carrier discussions.

Community Highlights & Action

Our members have been active this week, both online and on the ground:

• Inspiration4 Space Camp Dedication: Over eight Citizens were on the ground in Huntsville at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex at Space Camp USA! MoonDAO supported this facility last fall through a community fundraiser, helping sponsor a multi-axis trainer and other infrastructure.

• Research & Planning: Kent Nebergall has been planning dev sprints for his upcoming aerospace mentoring website, analyzing lunar rover raw data collected at the MDRS last February, and voted in MoonDAO proposals for the very first time!

Have you been working on something related to our mission? Let us know! Submit your own independent contributions at moondao.com/contributions to share your work, get help from the community, and be eligible for retroactive rewards.

Welcome to our Newest Citizens 🧑‍🚀

We are officially 204 citizens strong!

• A warm welcome to SpaceLawyer (Citizen #203) and Cosmonaut-Aurobi (Citizen #204), who officially joined us this week!
• Citizen Spotlight: This week, we’re highlighting Space Jules (Citizen #187). Based in Norway, Jules is focused on bridging ocean and space while exploring connection, AI, and the future. You can connect with her on Twitter or check out her MoonDAO Citizen Profile.

Want to join Jules, SpaceLawyer, Aurobi, and the rest of our community? Step up and become a citizen today at moondao.com/join.

Opportunities on the Network

• New Job Listing: The Open Lunar Foundation is looking for a remote, full-time Project and Partnership Lead, Lunar Ledger ($70k - $85k USD salary) to spearhead the growth and maturity of the Lunar Ledger. Check out the details at moondao.com/jobs.

• Marketplace Training: Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides is hosting SpaceKind19 Training starting September 23rd at noon PT. It’s an 8-week program designed to level up your leadership, teamwork, and confidence before you head to space. It is listed on our marketplace for $865 USDC, which is a 10% discount compared to the normal price, available only to Citizens! Learn more at moondao.com/marketplace.

What’s Next? 📅

Mark your calendars for our upcoming Town Halls. These are the best places to get real-time project updates and chat with the team:

• June 4, 3pm ET (19:00 UTC): Monthly Project Updates MoonDAO Town Hall — RSVP on Luma​

See you at the Project Updates Town Hall next Thursday!