8. Language Use. Task 1. A voyage to the moon

 

 

A US company has secured funding to become (0) the first private company to travel to the moon, with a planned voyage that will be an international milestone in space exploration.

Moon Express, a Florida-based firm, said it had raised $20 million in financing, (1) whowhichwhatwhose will allow it (2) to be sentto sendsendingsend a robotic spacecraft to the moon’s surface (3) laterlatestlatterlast this year. The company has (4) askedtoldwantedsaid it believes the moon can “produce resources essential to humanity’s future (5) onbetweeninat Earth and in space”.

 

Moon Express is one of 16 teams that have (6) lookchallengedcompetedsearch for funding and has raised a total of more (7) thatthenthanthus $45 million from individuals and venture funds. It is one of numerous companies that has specific plans in the works for exploration.

A firm (8) foundedlabelledcalledclaimed Deep Space Industries is seeking to launch an autonomous spacecraft this year that can (9) expeldigfindextract materials from asteroids. Planetary Resources, a company supported (10) byonatwith Google’s co-founder Larry Page, is also building technology dedicated (11) toasforon asteroid mining with the goal of a 2020 commercial mission. It is estimated that the mineral wealth of the moon may (12) beenhavehave been be worth quadrillions of dollars. It is also believed that the moon will be an important part of the Earth’s economy and “potentially our second home”.