Who regulates private lunar missions?
The Google Lunar X PRIZE rules require teams to abide by the relevant national and international regulations while pursuing the prize. Most teams will need to deal with several government agencies over the course of their mission. For example, teams based in the United States of America will need to acquire a launch license from the Federal Aviation Administration, permissions to use certain radio frequencies to communicate from their vehicle from the Federal Communications Commission, and potentially permits governing the imaging of Earth from space from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In most cases, space agencies such as NASA play no direct role in any permitting or similar processes, although they may play and advisory role in support of other agencies.
