<span class="RACopyBody">WASHINGTON — The federal government for the first time has given permission to a private Florida company to fly a spaceship beyond Earth’s orbit and land on the moon.</span>

<span class="RACopyBody">The Federal Aviation Administration gave clearance Wednesday to Moon Express to land a washing machine-sized vehicle on the moon that would take hops across the lunar surface.</span>

<span class="RACopyBody">Moon Express CEO Bob Richards says the first $10 million mission is scheduled to launch late next year, probably out of New Zealand. His firm has five customers, including a company that is selling the opportunity to take people’s ashes to the moon. His parents’ ashes will be on the flight.</span>

<span class="RACopyBody">However, Richards says his firm hasn’t finished building the lander and the private rocket the company hopes to use has never flown before.</span>