Category Archives: Astrobotic

Friday / 28 March 2014

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18 GLXP Teams Working Toward
2015 Moon Missions

GLXP Teams Mar 2014

Weekly GLXP Teams Virtual Hangouts To Occur Every Tuesday; Astrobotic Announces Other Teams Will Join Its Mission Soon; 5 Competing For US$6M Terrestrial Prizes: Team Indus, Hakuto, Part-Time Scientists, Astrobotic, Moon Express (Latter 2 Are Only Teams To Advance To Accomplishment Round In All 3 Categories – Landing, Mobility, Imaging); Synergy Moon Building NEPTUNE L-1000 Launch Vehicle With Partner Company Interorbital Systems; SpaceIL Raises $21M, SpaceMETA $10M

Image Credit: GLXP, ME, Indus, Hakuto, PT Scientists, Astrobotic, IOS, Synergy Moon

Friday / 7 March 2014

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Japan Diverse Interests In Moon Missions

Japan Moon

Japan Scientists Preparing For 2nd SELenological and ENgineering Explorer (SELENE-2) Moon Mission Consisting Of Orbiter, Lander, Rover To Launch NET 2018; SELENE-3 Sample Return To Follow, Eventually Human Moon Missions & Outpost; Japan Team Hakuto Strong Contender For GLXP / Selected To Compete For Terrestrial Milestone Prizes; Commercial Interest & Advertising From Moon Highlighted By Japan Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Planning To Send ‘Pocari Sweat’ Sports Drink To Moon Surface On Astrobotic Lunar Lander

Image Credit: JAXA, GLXP, Hakuto

Thursday / 20 February 2014

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GLXP Milestone Prize Contenders Announced

GLXP-Milestone-prizes0214

9-Member Independent Judging Panel Selects Teams To Compete For 3 Terrestrial Milestone Prizes: US$1M Landing System Prize – Astrobotic (AT), Moon Express (ME), Team Indus; $500K Mobility Subsystem Prize – AT, ME, Hakuto, Part-Time-Scientists (PTS); $250K Imaging Subsystem Prize – AT, ME, PTS, Team Indus; Teams Have Until Sep 2014 To Complete Prize Requirements; Many Experts Believe GLXP Unattainable By 2015 Time Limit, Though Teams Remain Confident

Image Credit: GLXP, Moon Express

Tuesday / 18 February 2014

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GLXP: True Contenders Emerging

GLXPcontenders0214

Moon Express & Other GLXP Favorites Await Announcement Of Terrestrial Milestone Prizes Finalists, Expected Later This Week, Should Help Reveal Real Contenders; Contest Now Down To 18 Teams From Original Field Of 30; Astrobotic Receives Contract To Deliver ASTROSCALE Lunar Dream Time Capsule To Moon Surface On Its Oct 2015 Mission; 1 Week Left For Lunar Lion Crowdfunding Campaign

Image Credit: Astrobotic Technology, Moon Express

New Year / Holiday Edition
Wed 25 Dec 2013 – Fri 3 Jan 2014

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2020 Vision: Humanity A Multi World Species

LED-12-12-13Multi Nation Science And Commerce Human Lunar Expeditions 2019-2020 Preceded By Moon South Pole International Traffic Jam 2015-2016 With Robotic Landings From USA, PRC, Japan, India, Russia, as well as Moon Express / ILOA, Golden Spike, Shackleton Energy, Astrobotic, Lunar Lions, Others; NEOs, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Next

Ad Astra — Happy New Year / Holidays To All

 Image Credit: NASA, ILOA, ME, Penn State Lunar Lions, Astrobotic Technology

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 4-7 October 2013

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GLXP Teams Poised To Make Valuable Contributions To Lunar Exploration

GLXPupdate1013

Astrobotic Conducts Full Deployment Field Test Of Moon Cave Exploration Robot ‘Tyrobot’, Producing 3D Model Of A Pit In PA; Barcelona Moon Provides Info About Their Launcher / Lander / Rover & Budget (US$73M); Omega Envoy Set To Debut Student-Designed ‘Artemis’ Rover At Mini Maker Faire In FL, 5 Oct; Futron Says Potential For Lunar Markets From 2011-2019 Is ~US$1.56B 

Image Credit: GLXP, Futron

Friday / 30 August 2013

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Google Lunar X Prize Teams Advancing

GLXP Updates

Team Puli With IndieGoGo Campaign Plans To Send Rover To Moon-Like Mauna Kea In Hawai`i, Have It Take HD Video, Move 500 Meters, Test / Control Systems From Budapest, Hungary 12,552 Km Away; Team Indus Based In New Delhi, India Running Competition To Develop Lunar Rover Designs; Red Whittaker Of Astrobotic Discusses Griffin Lander / Red Rover Mission To Investigate Lacus Mortis 44.962° N, 25.61° E

Image Credit: GLXP, Puli, Indus, Astrobotic, IFA

Friday / 12 July 2013

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Astrobotic Reduces Moon Payload Delivery Cost

Astrobotic

GLXP Team Astrobotic Technologies Inc. Offers 30% Price Reduction For Payload Delivery To Moon Aboard Its Lunar Lander / Rover With Launch Set Oct 2015 Via SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket; US$99K/kg For Trans-Lunar Injection, $1.2M/kg For Lunar Surface Delivery On Lander, $2M/kg On Rover; Lander & Rover Will Power & Support Payload Operations For 10 Days, Then Hibernate For 14-Day Lunar Night & Recover After Sunrise, Continue Operations

Image Credit: Astrobotic

Thursday / 31 May 2012

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Contenders Emerge At GLXP 12th Team Summit

Moon Express Acquires Team Next Giant Leap; Plans To Carry Forward Work Done By NGL Corporate Partners Sierra Nevada Corp, Draper Lab, MIT, eSpace, Challenger Center; Astronaut / MIT Professor Jeffrey Hoffman Praises Talented Team Composed By ME Co-Founder Bob Richards; Alex Hall Expects Further Mergers / Dropouts This Year; SpaceX Launch Success Brings Hope To Astrobotic 

Image Credit: GLXP, SpaceX, Moon Express, Namco

Friday / 6 April 2012

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Astrobotic Unveils New Prospecting Robot

Image Credit: Astrobotic Technology Inc

New Polaris Lunar Rover Will Prospect For Water Ice, Methane & Other Resources At Moon North Pole; Solar Powered Astrobotic Robot Will Launch Aboard Falcon 9 Rocket NET 2015, Spend 12 Days Exploring, Carry 80kg Of Payload Including Drill, Instruments To Analyze Samples, Neutron Spectrometer & Infrared Spectrometer To Search For Signs Of Ice; Design Adapted From Lunar Excavation Machine Astrobotic Prototyping Under 2010 NASA Contract