- LunarCrush, a social intelligence company, is launching an interplanetary treasure hunt, Nakamoto_1, with 62 Bitcoin (~$1.5M) as the prize, etching the wallet’s private key onto a Lunar Outpost MAPP Rover set to launch later this year.
- The project aims to inspire the next generation of interplanetary exploration and has partnered with Lunar Outpost, animation studio Golden Wolf, and Bitcoin developer tools company Hiro.
- To fund the project, LunarCrush will sell a 24,000-piece NFT collection, with proceeds supporting the treasure chest and Bitcoin-related development and educational causes.
A thrilling treasure hunt with a prize worth nearly $2 million in Bitcoin is about to take place, and it’s not happening on Earth. Later this year, a SpaceX rocket will carry a small lunar rover with a wallet key attached to it. The rover, about the size of a microwave oven, will land on the moon’s surface. The prize? 62 Bitcoin is waiting to be claimed by the first person who can successfully copy down the key from the rover.
Joe Vezzani, CEO of LunarCrush, is the mastermind behind Nakamoto_1, the “first interplanetary treasure hunt” in history, named after Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto. LunarCrush is a firm that analyzes social media communication to identify investment trends in cryptocurrencies and NFTs. Vezzani acknowledges the challenge might take years to complete but remains optimistic that the treasure will be claimed sooner than later.
Partnerships and NFTs: Funding the Treasure Hunt
To fund the 62-Bitcoin fortune and support the project, LunarCrush has partnered with Lunar Outpost, a leader in commercial planetary mobility, animation studio Golden Wolf, and Bitcoin developer tools company Hiro. The project will start with a 24,000-piece NFT collection drop later this month, with each NFT priced at $250. LunarCrush hopes to raise as much as $6 million from the sale.
Golden Wolf, an Emmy-nominated animation studio acquired by top-tier NFT brand Doodles, has been enlisted to create the NFT art for the project. The proceeds from the NFT sale will be used to fund the treasure, with 25% allocated to the prize and an additional 25% to be donated to Bitcoin-related developmental and educational causes.
Inspiring a New Generation of Space Explorers
The Nakamoto_1 treasure hunt is not just about creating excitement for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency enthusiasts; it aims to inspire the next generation of interplanetary exploration. With nations like the U.S., Russia, India, and China, as well as Elon Musk’s SpaceX, all planning trips to the moon, the potential for expanded lunar exploration and future space stations is growing.
The lunar rover carrying the wallet key will first test wireless data transmission along the moon’s South Pole. Once its initial mission is complete, the rover will remain dormant until a treasure hunter discovers it. As Dr. Forrest Meyen, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer at Lunar Outpost, explains, the project is an opportunity to inspire the next generation to overcome challenges in space travel and exploration, much like the Google Lunar XPRIZE did for the commercial lunar rover industry.
A Publicity Stunt or the Future of Exploration?
While some may dismiss Nakamoto_1 as a mere publicity stunt, the project’s potential to inspire innovation and foster a new generation of space explorers cannot be ignored. The treasure hunt leverages the power of blockchain technology and the allure of Bitcoin to create a global challenge that may redefine the boundaries of exploration and human ingenuity.
As the countdown to the launch begins, all eyes will be on the Nakamoto_1 project and the daring treasure hunters who will embark on an unprecedented journey to claim their interplanetary fortune.
