Hot on the heels of China, two private companies have announced their intention to land robotic rovers on the Moon.
Golden Spike and Honeybee Robotics aim to send the robots ahead of manned missions in that will arrive by 2020.
Sending the rovers up first will allow them time to collect samples which will then be retrieved by the astronauts so they don't have to wait long times on the surface.
Dr. S. Alan Stern, Golden Spike’s President, said: "We’re very proud to be working with Honeybee, which has tremendous experience and a record of successful performance in the development of flight systems for NASA."
Honeybee's past form is indeed impressive having made tools for the Mars Exploration Rovers, the Phoenix Mars Lander and the Mars Science Laboratory.
Clive Neal, a researcher at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and chair of Golden Spike's lunar science advisory board, said in a statement: "Their participation is a key step forward in helping Golden Spike change the paradigm of human space exploration, through the development of highly capable lunar exploration system architecture for customers around the world."
The companies' plans are certainly ambitious - within 10 years of the first landing, they hope to conduct 15-25 more.
China Moon Rover
(01 of10)
Open Image ModalIn this image taken by the on-board camera of the lunar probe Chang'e-3 and made off the screen of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, China's first moon rover 'Yutu' - or Jade Rabbit - is on the lunar surface in the area known as Sinus Iridum (Bay of Rainbows) Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013. Yutu touched down on the moon and left deep traces on its loose soil, state media reported Sunday, several hours after the country successfully carried out the world's first soft landing of a space probe on the moon in nearly four decades. (AP Photo / Xinhua) NO SALES (credit:AP)
(02 of10)
Open Image ModalThis Saturday Dec. 14, 2013 photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, shows a picture of the moon surface taken by the on-board camera of the lunar probe Chang'e-3 on the screen of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China. China on Saturday successfully carried out the world's first soft landing of a space probe on the moon in nearly four decades, the next stage in an ambitious space program that aims to eventually put a Chinese astronaut on the moon. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Wang Jianmin) NO SALES (credit:AP)
(03 of10)
Open Image ModalThis Saturday Dec. 14, 2013 photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, shows a picture of the moon surface taken by the on-board camera of the lunar probe Chang'e-3 on the screen of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China. China on Saturday successfully carried out the world's first soft landing of a space probe on the moon in nearly four decades, the next stage in an ambitious space program that aims to eventually put a Chinese astronaut on the moon. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Wang Jianmin) NO SALES (credit:AP)
(04 of10)
Open Image ModalIn this image taken by the on-board camera of the lunar probe Chang'e-3 and made off the screen of the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, China's first moon rover "Jade Rabbit" touches the lunar surface Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013. "Jade Rabbit" touched down on the moon and left deep traces on its loose soil, state media reported Sunday, several hours after the country successfully carried out the world's first soft landing of a space probe on the moon in nearly four decades. (AP Photo/Xinhua) NO SALES (credit:AP)
(05 of10)
Open Image Modal (credit:CCTV)
(06 of10)
Open Image ModalThe first picture of the Moon sent back by Chang'e 3 (credit:CCTV)
(07 of10)
Open Image ModalIn this image made off the screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, is the Chang'e-3 moon lander, taken by the camera on the 'Yutu' (Jade Rabbit) moon rover, during the mutual-photograph process in the area known as Sinus Iridum (Bay of Rainbows), Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013. Yutu touched down on the moon and left deep traces on its loose soil, state media reported Sunday, several hours after the country successfully carried out the world's first soft landing of a space probe on the moon in nearly four decades. (AP Photo / Wang Jianmin, Xinhua) NO SALES (credit:AP)
(08 of10)
Open Image ModalResearchers work in the control room of the Chang'e-3 lunar probe after it landed on the moon and deployed a moon rover, at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing. China's first moon rover touched the lunar surface and left deep traces on its loose soil, state media reported Sunday, several hours after the country successfully carried out the world's first soft landing of a space probe on the moon in nearly four decades. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT (credit:AP)
(09 of10)
Open Image ModalThe Long March 3B rocket carrying the Chang'e-3 lunar probe blasts off from the launch pad at Xichang Satellite Launch Center, in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Monday, Dec. 2, 2013. China has launched its first mission to land a rover on the moon that will transmit images and survey the moons surface. The spacecraft is expected to land in mid-December. (AP Photo) CHINA OUT (credit:AP)
China Launches Its First Moon Rover In Xichang(10 of10)
Open Image ModalXICHANG, CHINA - DECEMBER 02: (CHINA OUT) A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying China's Chang'e-3 lunar probe takes off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center on December 2, 2013 in Xichang, China. China successfully sent the Chang'e-3 lunar probe with its first moon rover aboard into orbit on Monday morning. (Photo by ChinaFotoPress/Getty Images) (credit:Getty Images)