Artist's concept of Trailblazer Craft. Preliminary artist's concept © 1999. TransOrbital, Inc. artist Vik Olliver

TRANSORBITAL, INC.
6430 The Parkway
Alexandria, VA 22310

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
19 Mar 2000
San Diego, CA, USA

TransOrbital, Inc. Proposes the First Commercial Race to the Moon

During the last year a start-up spacecraft company, TransOrbital Inc., has developed a low-cost video photography mission for lunar orbit. Their private, robotic spacecraft, 2001 TrailBlazer, will return HDTV video from lunar orbit for use as commercial products. The privately-held company has already arranged for a launch aboard NPO Mashinostroenia's "Strela" launch vehicle. The 2001 TrailBlazer Project is a for-profit Space Venture and will produce various video and other products such as:

Earthrise 2001: Video of the Earth rising over the lunar horizon as seen from lunar orbit. Low-altitude, high-speed surface video, suitable for inclusion in a 1st run science-fiction movie. A photographic Atlas of the entire lunar surface for universities and planetary scientists. High-resolution aerial photography of pre-targeted sites. Video of advertisers' inflatable sub-spacecraft with logos. Interactive Lunar Flight CD-ROM game. Final de-orbit video, up to moment of impact. Personalized Internet postcards from the moon.

"We want to do for the Moon what Jacques Cousteau did for marine exploration - to go, look, sell the images and repeat it again and again." TransOrbital will also provide small cargo delivery service for relics and personal & business cards, to a hard landing on the lunar surface.

Last week, TransOrbital received and signed a Letter of Intent from a customer who will provide a very significant portion of the required funding for the 2001 TrailBlazer Project. TransOrbital continues to seek additional customers for complete funding.

TransOrbital is aware of at least two similar projects which are underway, the most recently started effort is fully-funded. The public will be hearing about that project soon, when that company makes its announcements.

TransOrbital calls out to these new space companies for a RACE TO THE MOON, a race using commercially built and funded, private spacecraft.

Gentlemen,

"Start your rocket engines!"

TransOrbital, Inc. was founded on the Internet, as an offshoot of the Artemis Project (www.asi.org). International in scope, TransOrbital has offices in Virginia, California, Maryland, Indiana, Mississippi, Canada, Ireland, The Netherlands, and New Zealand. The company's founders have effectively used Internet connectivity to bring their talents together and develop several spacecraft, lunar missions, and the company itself. The firm's initial investment was secured by partnering with the Lunar Enterprise Corporation.