Category Archives: Google Lunar XPRIZE

Thursday / 2 April 2015

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Lunar Dust Experiments Opening Future Exploration Possibilities

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LADEE Results Indicate Tail Of Nanoscale Particles Trailing Moon, Likely Expelled By Asteroid Impact, <0.001g / Square Meter; LADEE Spectrometer PI Says Phenomenon Could Offer New Way To Study Surface Of Airless Planetary Bodies, “Collect Their Tails Rather Than Landing On Them”; Moon RIDERS Educational Project Testing System To Remove Lunar Dust From Moon Lander Equipment Using High Voltage Square Waves Being Tested At NASA Ames; Project Is Collaboration Of Hawai`i High Schools, NASA, GLXP Teams, PISCES

Image Credit: NASA, kealakeherobotics.org

Tuesday / 31 March 2015

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Japan & India GLXP Teams Advancing

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Japan-Based Team Hakuto Working With Anime Show Evangelion In Crowdfunding Campaign To Recreate Scene From The Show During Lunar Mission; Campaign Quickly Became Fastest Growing Japanese Crowdfunding Initiative  Ever, Has Raised US$338K Of $832K-Goal, Deadline For Campaign Is 5 April; India-Based Team Indus Set To Close US$1.5-M Pre-Series A Funding Round After Significant Investments From Infosys Co-Founder Nandan Nilekani (Inset) & Others; Indus Goal To Raise $30M For Mission, Including $20-25M For ISRO Launch

Pictured: (R) Japan Astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, (L) Celebrity Natsuki Katou

Image Credit: Team Hakuto, Pradeep Guar

Thursday / 5 March 2015

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Team Indus Confirms Communications Partner

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Sole India GLXP Team Partners With Tata Communications; Team Indus Will Use Company’s Low-Latency Network For Final Mission Interconnection Between Deep Space & Network Stations, Also Will Handle Communications Between USA-Based Earth Stations & Command Center In India; New Delhi-Based Team Intends To Launch Mission From Sriharikota In 2016, Land 2 Rovers On Moon Surface; Team Indus Is Among Front Runners Of Competition After Winning US$1M Landing Milestone Prize

Image Credit: Team Indus, GLXP, Tata Communications

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 27 Feb – 2 Mar 2015

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Hawai`i High Schools To Develop, Test & Fly New Technology To Moon Surface

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Hawaii High Schools Kealakehe & `Iolani Selected For Moon RIDERS (Research Investigating Dust Expulsion Removal Systems) Student Lunar Flight Experiment; Schools Will Build & Test A Technology Called Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS), System That Generates Electric Current To Remove Corrosive Dust Particles From Spacesuits And Spacecraft; Students Will Test Mock-up Spacecraft Equipped With EDS At PISCES Analog Test Site On Mauna Kea, Hawaii Island Beginning 16 Mar

Image Credit: PISCES, NASA

Tuesday / 24 February 2015

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Independent Moon Missions Advancing

Independent Moon MissionsTeam Hakuto Of Japan Announces It Is Teaming Up With Astrobotic To Land Rovers On Moon; Astrobotic Hopes To Carry Rovers From Several Teams On Its Griffin Lander, Setting Up An Actual 500-M Race To Win The US$20M GLXP; More Teams In Talks With Astrobotic About Ride-Share Possibilities; Team Hakuto Intends To Explore Lunar Skylights With Rovers Moonraker & Tetris; ILOA Also Advancing Mission To Land Observation / Communication Payload Near Moon South Pole Through Southeast Asia Meetings Including Galaxy Forum In Thailand Today

Image Credit: Astrobotic, Hakuto, NARIT, ILOA

Friday / 13 February 2015

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GLXP Team Indus “We Will Definitely
Land On The Moon”

India Team indus

India Team Indus Describes Support Received From Various ISRO Branches, Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs, General Public; Team Estimates It Will Need To Secure US$35M To Complete Lunar Lander ‘HHK1’ & Rover, And Launch To Moon On PSLV; Core Team Of 9 Plus 31 Other Young Engineers Continues To Overcome Technological / Financial Challenges, Inspire STEM Education, Encourage Technology Startups & Advance Space Exploration Activities In India; Hosting Reddit “Ask Me Anything”
On 14 Feb 11:00-12:30 IST

Image Credit: GLXP, Team Indus, NASA

Tuesday / 27 January 2015

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Milestone Prizes Start Off 2015
Decisive Year For GLXP

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Successful GLXP Moon Mission Would Provide Validation Of Critical NewSpace / Commercial Dimension Of Lunar Exploration & Development; Milestone Prizes May Provide Boost / Momentum To Leading Contenders As They Seek To Confirm 2016 Launch Plans By End Of This Year, Thereby Extending The Contest For An Additional Year; Total Of 9 Prizes Were Awarded, With Teams Receiving: Astrobotic US$1.75M, Moon Express $1.25M, Team Indus $1M, Part-Time Scientists $750K, Hakuto $500K

Image Credit: GLXP

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 23-26 January 2015

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Google Lunar XPRIZE To Announce Milestone Prize Winners

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On Monday 26 Jan, Up To US$6M In Milestone Prizes Will Be Awarded To Qualified Teams At A Private Event At California Academy Of Sciences In San Francisco; Max 3 Teams Can Win US$1M Landing Prize, 4 Teams Can Win $500K Mobility Prize & $250K Imaging Prize; Previous Announcement Confirmed That Astrobotic Won Mobility & Imaging Prizes; Other Teams Competing For Prizes Include: Hakuto, Moon Express, Indus, Part Time Scientists

Image Credit: GLXP

Thursday / 22 January 2015

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GLXP Team Hakuto Advancing Mission
With Milestone Prize Tests

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Japan-Based GLXP Team Hakuto Awaiting Announcement Of Results After Completing Milestone Prize Tests To Prove Flight Readiness Of Pre-Flight Model Rovers Moonraker & Tetris; Team Conducted Vibration, Thermal Vacuum & Field Mobility Tests; Field Tests In Nakatajima Sand Dunes, Overseen By GLXP Judge David Swanson & 25 Media Reps; 2 Rovers Successfully Climbed 30-Degree Slope, Navigated Through Obstacles, Completed 500-m Trek In ~4 Hours, Demonstrated Potential For Skylight Navigation Through Dual-Rover Towing System

Image Credit: Hakuto

Tuesday / 6 January 2015

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Astrobotic Seeking To Make Pittsburgh A Space-Faring City

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Red Whittaker Hopes Astrobotic Will Soon Have Hundreds Or Thousands Of Employees Working On Multiple Moon Missions, Says Pittsburgh – With Its History Of Building Industry – Is Ideal Location To Create Strong Commercial Space / Moon Industry; Company Now Has 20 Employees Working On GLXP Mission, Confident There Is Large Market For Flying Payloads To Moon, Company Leaders Report They Are Now Getting More Interest From Funding Sources

Image Credit: Astrobotic Technology