Scientists believe that sooner or later the moon will be the second home of human kind. In a bid to extend human civilisation to the moon, an astronomical observatory is all set to be flown to the moon by 2011 by a private commercial venture Odyssey Moon Limited..

In a bid to human expansion to the moon and helping human beings to become an inter-global and multi-world species, the worlds first astronomical observatory has been planned to set sail towards the moon in early next decade. The worlds first astronomical observatory bound for the moon will be a product of joint venture between the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) and Google Lunar X Prize contender Odyssey Moon Limited. ILOA director Steve Durst who is also the founder of Space Age Publishing Company said, "Permanent human expansion to the moon is our next great advance."

The ILOA is a consortium of scientists and visionaries from, to date, Canada, China, India, Europe, Japan and Hawaii, and America who want to demonstrate the value of the moon for scientific study of the galaxy, moon, earth, sun and stars; followed by human exploration and eventual settlement. It is a Hawaii-based non-profit organisation dedicated to expanding human knowledge of the cosmos through observation from our moon, via its ILO and ILO human service missions.

The announcement was made on July 21 during a NASA Lunar Science Institute conference at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. A dual function ILO precursor instrument demonstrating observation and communication techniques will be part of the scientific and commercial payloads aboard Odyssey Moon's inaugural "Moon One" lander mission, planned for 2011, and destined for the lunar equator in pursuit of the Google Lunar X Prize. The ILO precursor instrument will be used to conduct astrophysical and in-situ observations and communications, providing scientific research, technical demonstrations and proof of concept for the ILO venture.

The observatory, a major step for extending human civilization to the moon is scheduled to be set up to the south pole region on the moonscape where energy and resources are believed to be abundant. The observatory will be brought down to the moon aboard Odyssey Moon's "Moon Two" lunar lander early in the next decade. The observatory will do permanent astrophysical observations and also the lunar commercial communications system.

Odyssey Moon Limited, a commercial lunar enterprise settled in the Isle of Man, is the space transportation and mission partner. It has already announced a series of robotic mission to the moon during the International Lunar Decade in support of science, commerce and exploration. The company intends to offer frequent, low cost and reliable access to the lunar surface for private and government customers. Odyssey Moon is dedicated to the long-term responsible development of the moon for the benefit of all humanity. The organisations involved in the project hope that ILOA venture represents an opportunity for all people of the earth to support and participate in a project for long term benefit.