Posted on February 28, 2015, at 10:41 am .
`Iolani School’s Moon RIDERS team. (Credit: PISCES)
HILO, Hawaii (PISCES PR) – The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems (PISCES) is pleased to announce the two Hawaii high schools chosen for the Moon RIDERS student lunar flight experiment!
Kealakehe High School in Kailua-Kona on Hawaii Island, and `Iolani School in Honolulu on Oahu, have been selected to participate in the unprecedented student project to develop, build, test, and fly a real-life lunar experiment to the surface of the Moon!
Continue reading ‘Hawaiian High School Students to Design Experiments for Moon Flight’
Posted on February 23, 2015, at 8:29 am .
Moonraker and Tetris exploring a cliff together (Credit: HAKUTO)
TOKYO, Japan (February 23, 2015) – HAKUTO, the only Japanese team competing for the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE, has announced a contract with fellow competitor, Astrobotic, based in Pittsburgh, Pa., to carry a pair of rovers to the moon. Astrobotic plans to launch its Google Lunar XPRIZE mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., during the second half of 2016. HAKUTO’s twin rovers, Moonraker and Tetris, will piggyback on Astrobotic’s Griffin lander to reach the lunar surface. Upon touchdown, the rovers will be released simultaneously with Astrobotic’s Andy rover, developed by Carnegie Mellon University, travel 500 meters on the moon’s surface and send high-definition images and video back to Earth, all in pursuit of the $20M Google Lunar XPRIZE Grand Prize.
Continue reading ‘GLXP Update: Astrobotic, HAKUTO Announce Rideshare Plans to the Moon’
Posted on February 7, 2015, at 12:19 pm .
Artist’s conception of a Bigelow lunar habitat. (Credit: Bigelow Aerospace)
A recent government review of Bigelow Aerospace’s ambitious plans for settlements on the moon did not result in an endorsement of private property rights and ownership on the Moon.
“I want to make clear that the FAA today has responsibility to license launches and reentry and nothing in between,” said George Nield, who is associate administrator for Commercial Space Transportation at the FAA (FAA AST).
Continue reading ‘FAA Moves to Establish Framework for Commercial Lunar Operations’
Posted on February 6, 2015, at 12:46 pm .
Moon Express’ MTV-1X test vehicle performed a tethered flight test at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Credit: Moon Express Inc.)
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla., Feb. 6, 2015 (MoonEx PR) – Moon Express, Inc. (MoonEx) has announced that it will continue flight tests at Kennedy Space Center using the newest version of its lunar lander test vehicle later this month.
Continue reading ‘Moon Express Continues Lander Flight Tests at NASA Kennedy’
Posted on January 31, 2015, at 5:19 am .
San Francisco (Team Synergy Moon PR) – Google Lunar XPRIZE Team Synergy Moon announces T & L Publications as our DIY/STEAM Outreach Sponsor.
T & L Publications is an American consumer-magazine publisher serving Hobbyist Electronics, Robotics, and Science & Technology enthusiasts. Their focus and readership is a perfect match for Synergy Moon’s Do-It-Yourself methodologies focusing on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) through the lens of civilian space exploration. T & L Publications produces and operates Nuts & Volts and SERVO magazines.
Continue reading ‘GLXP Update: Team Synergy Moon Announces T & L Publications as DIY/STEAM Outreach Sponsor’
Posted on January 28, 2015, at 5:51 am .
Moon Express’ MTV-1X test vehicle performed a tethered flight test at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (Credit: Moon Express Inc.)
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. (NASA PR) – During November and December 2014, Moon Express successfully conducted its lander test vehicle hot fires and initial flight tests at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space Center, with the support of NASA’s Lunar Cargo Transportation and Landing by Soft Touchdown (CATALYST) initiative.
Continue reading ‘Moon Express Completes Initial Flight Tests at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’
Posted on January 27, 2015, at 3:24 pm .
Google has increased the maximum amount it will give out in the Google Lunar X Prize from $30 million to $40 million, the XPrize announced.
The increase was made to accommodate a series of milestone prizes the competition awarded this week to five of the 18 teams in the competition. A total of $5.25 million was awarded to Astrobotic, Hakuto, Moon Express, Part-time Scientists and Team Indus. The amounts ranged from $500,000 to $1.75 million.
Continue reading ‘Google Increases Financial Commitment to Google Lunar X Prize’
Posted on January 27, 2015, at 12:36 pm .
SAN FRANCISCO (XPRIZE PR) — XPRIZE, the global leader in incentivized prize competition, today announced that five Google Lunar XPRIZE teams have been awarded a combined US$5.25 million in recognition of key technological advancements toward their quest to land a private spacecraft on the surface of the moon. Determined by a judging panel of science, aeronautics and space industry experts that evaluated numerous tests over the past year, the Milestone Prizes honor hardware and software innovations needed to overcome technical risks in the three crucial areas—Imaging, Mobility and Landing systems—all of which are necessary to complete a successful Google Lunar XPRIZE mission.
Continue reading ‘XPRIZE Awards $5.25 Million in Milestone Prizes to 5 Teams’
Posted on January 25, 2015, at 11:49 pm .
UPDATE: The total amount awarded is $5.25 million out of $6 million. The winners are:
- Astrobotic: $1.75 million (Landing, Mobility, Imaging)
- Moon Express: $1.25 million (Landing, Imaging)
- Team Indus: $1 million (Landing)
- Part Time Scientists: $750,000 (Mobility, Imaging)
- Hakuto: $500,000 (Mobility)
Moon Express did not win any funds for mobility. Team Indus did not receive any funding for imagining.
The milestone funds will be deducted from the $20 million first prize and the $5 million second prize should any of the teams win them.
The winners of the $6 million Google Lunar X Prize milestone award competition won’t be announced until sometime on Monday, but it appears that everyone is a winner.
The competition has been inviting people to an exclusive live chat on Monday with the five winning teams. Of the 18 remaining teams in the competition, the number competing for the milestones was….five. So, everyone must have won something.
The prizes will be awarded during a glitzy, invitation-only affair in San Francisco on Monday night. Team members are flying in from all over the world to receive the prizes.
Continue reading ‘Everybody Wins in Google Lunar X Prize Milestone Competition’
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