Hakuto Japan Team Leader Takeshi Hakamada (BR) Stresses Importance Of “Commercialization Of Moon”; Lunar Rover To Seek “Cave For Possible Habitat Location” With Wheels Designed For Mobility In Fine-Grained Dust On Moon Surface; German Team Part-Time Scientists Add Cooperating Partner Audi To Provide Technological Know-How From Quatrro All-Wheel Drive For Rover Optimization
Credit: NASA, GLXP, Audi, Team Hakuto, Team Part-Time Scientist
Japan Google Lunar XPrize Team HAKUTO Enters Agreement With Marubeni Information Systems For “Technological Assistance As Technology Partner”, Announcement Made At 26th Design Engineering & Manufacturing Solutions Expo 24-26 June; New Technology Includes 3D Printing & Scanning, Wheels Of Lunar Exploration Rover Shaped By Stratasys 3D Printer Have Heat Resistance & Adaptability To Harsh Temperatures In Space Environment
Credit: Lunar XPrize, Marubeni Information Systems
Tim Pickens Of Huntsville, Alabama, Chief Propulsion Engineer For Moon Express States That ME Is Operating In Cape Canaveral To Centralize Its Developments; While Pickens Mentions No Google Lunar X Prize Team Will Launch This Year, 2017 Or 2018 Is Expected; Pickens Currently Working On Propulsion System For Virgin Galactic SpaceShip Two; When Asked To Support Other Projects, Pickens Criteria Is That Involvement Has To Be Fun
Credit: Moon Express, Tim Pickens, GLXP, NASA
Mexico Seeks To Be First Latin America Country To Land / Operate Payload On Moon, Via Astrobotic GLXP Mission NET 2016; AEM Seeking Payload Proposals From Mexico Scientists, Selection In 4th Quarter 2015; Contract Moves Astrobotic 1 Step Closer To Securing Launch By End 2015 GLXP Deadline; Company Already Has Payload Contracts With GLXP Team Hakuto, 2 Private Companies, NASA, MoonMail Option For Average Citizens, Negotiating With 4 Other Teams, And Seeking Contracts From Several Other Of 50 Smaller Space Agencies
Image Credit: AEM, Astrobotic
XPRIZE & Google Providing Teams Competing For US$30M GLXP Extra Time To Secure Launch; At Least 1 Team Must Confirm Launch Contract By Dec 2015 For Extension To Go Into Effect; If Prize Extended, All Other Teams Will Have Until End Of 2016 To Confirm Launch Contract To Continue In Competition; Deadline For Landing On Moon & Completing Objectives Is End 2017
Image Credit: GLXP
Moon Express Testing Lunar Lander Test Vehicle MTV-1X At Shuttle Landing Facility / Company’s New Home At KSC In Florida; Bob Richards States KSC Has Communications, Safety & Hazard-Field Infrastructure, Talent / People, Room To Expand For Moon Mission Development; Company Seeks To Win Google Lunar XPrize, Build New Propulsion System, New Vehicles, Series Of Private Robots To Bring Resources Of Moon To Earth & Solve Current Earth-Moon Transportation Challenges
Image Credit: NASA/Lunar CATALYST Initiative, Ben Smegelsky, Moon Express Inc.
Exosphere Conference In Budapest, Hungary 13-31 July With Theme ‘An Endogenously-Powered Space Elevator’ To Focus On Modeling Various Power Supply Systems, Potential Markets Resulting From Reduced Cost Payload Delivery To / From Orbit, Asteroid & Moon Mining Industries; Hungary GLXP Team Puli Will Demonstrate Its Lunar Rover; Program Supported By PuliSpace Founder (BL) Dr. Tibór Pacher, Space Elevator Expert Larry Bartoszek (BC), Enrico Dini (BR) Of D-Shape Company Which Is Experimenting With 3D-Printed Lunar Bases
Image Credit: Exosphere, GLXP, Team Puli, D-Shape, NASA SSERVI
GLXP Contender Selected By NASA Flight Opportunities Program To Test Navigation Technology; Astrobotic Will Demonstrate Reliability Of Soft Landing System Aboard Masten Space Systems’ Suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicle; Developed With Nvidia & General Electric, 4kg Avionics System Supposedly Capable Of Pinpoint Lunar Landing With Hazard Avoidance Down To 20cm, Touchdown Accuracy To 3m; GLXP Teams Must Declare Registered / Scheduled Launch By End 2015
Image Credit: Astrobotic, GE, Nvidia
Final Day Of LSA5 In Cocoa Beach FL Will Feature Russell Cox (L) Of Flexure Engineering On ‘The Lunar Initiatives’, David Dunlop (R) Of NSS On ‘International Lunar Decade’, & Presentations On The Business Of Being An Astropreneur; Other Lunar Leaders Include Bob Richards (Moon Express), Dan Hendrickson (Astrobotic), Jim Keravala (Shackleton Energy); Conference Advancing Collaborations, Ideas For Robotic Science / Resource Prospecting & Human Exploration / Settlement Missions; 5th LunarCubes Workshop To Be Held Oct 6-9 In San Jose CA; LSA5 Speech By Astronaut Cady Coleman & Panel Discussion Available
Image Credit: Flexure Engineering, NSS, Bigelow, Isaac Brekken/The New York Times/Redux/Eyevine
GLXP Team Omega Envoy Reveals New Look For Rover “Sagan” With 3D-Printed Parts & Prepares For Testing; Lunar Lion Working To 3D Print Thruster Model For Prototype; Moon Express Developing KSC Space Launch Complex 36 For MTV-1X Lander Testing; Hakuto & Astrobotic Plan For Rideshare To Moon Late 2016 Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9; Remaining 18 Teams Work To Achieve Moon Landing Before Dec 31, 2016; Discovery Channel & Science Chanel To Air ‘Lunar XPrize’ Documentary Miniseries In 2015-16
Image Credit: GLXP, Astrobotic, Google, SpaceFlorida, Omega Envoy, Penn State Lunar Lion