Moon Express raises $20m for 2017 voyage to the moon

• Robot spacecraft planned to land on moon's surface this year
• Company will become first private enterprise to travel beyond Earth's orbit

A US company has secured funding to become the first private entity to travel to the moon, with a planned 2017 voyage that will be an international milestone in space exploration.

Moon Express, a Florida-based firm, said it had raised $20m in financing, which will allow it to send a robotic spacecraft to the moon's surface later this year.