As SpaceX skyrockets toward sending humans to Mars, Shruti Gurudanti, Rose Law Group partner, director of corporate transactions and space law, has her sights set on space startups

By Jessica Mathews | MSN

One small step for man. A giant one for SpaceX.

Barring weather or other delays, SpaceX is expected this evening to launch a privately-funded unmanned spacecraft built by Intuitive Machines in what will be the United States’ first return to the moon since 1972.

The mission—where space startup Intuitive Machines will transport scientific instruments for NASA and for commercial customers to the South Pole region of the moon—is a key moment for both U.S. space travel and specifically for Elon Musk, whose long-term vision for SpaceX is to send humans to Mars. SpaceX has become an indispensable part of the commercial space industry under Musk, regularly transporting satellites into orbit for customers and ferrying astronauts to the Space Station. But Musk’s ultimate goal is to “make humanity multi-planetary,” and SpaceX’s experience traveling to planets is still untested.

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“While VC activity has generally been slow, space startups are “hot” and seeing an uptick in VC funding at good valuations.” – Shruti Gurudanti, Rose Law Group partner, director of corporate transactions and space law