The space race of the mid-20th century was one of the modern era greatest periods of concentrated scientific innovation. From putting the first human on the Moon in 1969 to then sending the last person to walk on its surface up in 1972, the United States has been fueled by curiosity and Russian competition to do the seemingly impossible.
It has been more than 44 years since the last human walked on the Moon, and the most recent Moon landing was conducted by China in 2013 with their Chang 3 mission. The U.S. has long since turned its attention over to Mars as the next frontier, but there is still much to be learned from studying the Moon and Google is betting millions on it.
Mike Wall reports that the GLXP (Google) offers $20 million to the first private team that lands a spacecraft on the moon, moves it 1,640 feet (500 meters) and has the vehicle beam high-resolution photos and videos back to Earth. A successful mission must lift off by Dec. 31, 2017, for the team to claim this prize.
The second team to accomplish all of this by the deadline will receive $5 million. An additional $5 million is available for various special accomplishments (such as detecting water ice on the moon), bringing the total purse up to $30 million, contest organizers have said.
Moon Express signed a deal to use Rocket Lab U.S. Electron booster, and SpaceIL will fly aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Synergy Moon will ride atop a Neptune 8 rocket from Interorbital Systems, while Team Indus will use the Indian Space Research Organisation Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, and will carry Hakuto rover with it as part of a rideshare agreement, GLXP representatives said.
Also today, GLXP organizers announced that the 16 teams that had remained in the competition until this latest cull will split the $1 million Diversity Prize. This award, which is part of the overall $30 million purse, was set aside to reward teams for encouraging diversity in the fields of science, technology, and engineering.
Resource Portal for I2M Clients, Associates, and Geoscientists
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-
Managed & Built by I2M Consulting, LLC | © 2010-