Tag Archive for 'Peter Diamandis'

Ten Teams to Compete in 2008 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

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on August 6, 2008
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X PRIZE PRESS RELEASE

The X PRIZE Foundation today announced that ten teams will compete in the 2008 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, which will take place at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, October 24-25, 2008. The Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge is a two-level, two million dollar competition requiring a vehicle to simulate trips between the moon’s surface and lunar orbit.

Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, said, “Once again, we have excellent teams prepared to compete in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge. We are excited to see new teams join the competition, and I am confident that we will give away prize money this year. We are also delighted to have Northrop Grumman back as our title sponsor. This is the third year Northrop Grumman has supported the Lunar Lander Challenge; they are a valued partner and we would like to thank them for their continued enthusiasm.”

“Northrop Grumman is delighted to once again sponsor the Lunar Lander Challenge, an undertaking that typifies the spirit of U.S. leadership in innovation, entrepreneurism, and human space exploration,” said Robert Davis, director of the company’s space systems business development. “The competition continues to produce discoveries and dialogues that add critical bits of momentum to the Nation’s space program. We applaud and appreciate the contributions of every entrant to this process.”

Continue reading ‘Ten Teams to Compete in 2008 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge’

X Prize Updates: BT Provides Operating Funds; Diamandis Gets All Steve Austiny

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on June 30, 2008
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The X Prize Foundation has secured $7 million in operating funding from British Telecom (BT), Cosmic Log’s Alan Boyle reports. Founder Peter Diamandis tells Boyle the funding allows the non-profit to broaden its programs beyond its current U.S.-centric focus.

Diamandis had some kind words for John McCain’s proposal for a $300 million battery prize. He also talked extensively about plans for future prizes, including ones in health care, environment, and human genetic engineering. One idea involves involves giving the handicapped what they’ve always dreamed of: a chance to play the world’s most frustrating sport.

“Also in life sciences, we’re looking at human longevity, and what we internally call ‘the bionic man,’ the challenge to give a quadriplegic the ability to play a round of golf,” Diamandis said.

BT and the X PRIZE Foundation Team Up to Inspire World-Changing Innovations
X Prize News Release

Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE Releases Statement in Response to Senator McCain’s Proposed $300 Million Battery Prize
X Prize News Release

Continue reading ‘X Prize Updates: BT Provides Operating Funds; Diamandis Gets All Steve Austiny’

Parabolas: COTS Review, VC Cash Buoys Space Tourism, ISDC Report & Diamandis Interview

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on June 8, 2008
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COTS Review In Final Stages
Jefferson Morris
Aviation Week & Space Technology

“NASA is in the final stages of vetting a review on the feasibility of accelerating the crew transport portion of its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, according to Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Rick Gilbrech.

“NASA is funding SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corp. to develop cargo capability for the International Space Station (ISS) under COTS, but so far has held off on greenlighting the crew transfer portion of the program, known as “COTS D.” Only SpaceX has been actively working on a COTS D concept, with Orbital focused exclusively on cargo at this point.”

VC Cash in Tow, Space Tourist Biz Moves Beyond Early Adopters
Glenn Reynolds
Popular Mechanics

“Space tourism has attracted over $1.2 billion in investment, mostly from individual “angel investors,” of which only about 25 percent has been spent. Revenues last year were $268 million, up from $175 million the year before.”

Space: Tourism May Hold Key To Making ‘Space Faring’ A Reality
Taylor Dinerman
Radio Free Europe

“More than 1,000 men and women from around the planet gathered in Washington, D.C., recently to explore the idea that the future of the human race is not confined to this world alone. They came together for the 27th-annual International Space Development Conference (ISDC), sponsored by the National Space Society (NSS).”

Incentive Prizes: Shooting for the Stars
Rachael King
Business Week

“Taking his cue from Lindbergh’s famous prize-winning moment, Peter Diamandis fulfilled his dream to send people into space through his X Prize. BusinessWeek.com writer Rachael King recently spoke with Peter Diamandis about incentive prizes and why they work.”

Lunar Lander Challenge Set for October in New Mexico

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X PRIZE PRESS RELEASE

The X PRIZE Foundation has announced that the 2008 Lunar Lander Challenge will take place at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico, October 24-25, 2008.

“We are excited about going back to Holloman Air Force Base to conduct the Lunar Lander Challenge this year,” said Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, X Prize Chairman and CEO. “We are thankful for the continued support from the state of New Mexico for private spaceflight.

“The Lunar Lander Challenge is a perfect showcase for the talent and innovation coming from the entrepreneurs who will eventually fly from New Mexico’s Spaceport America. Lunar Lander Challenge teams are ready to fly and we are confident that this is the year someone will win the competition,” he added.

The $2 million Lunar Lander Challenge - which the X Prize manages for NASA - is a two-level competition requiring a vehicle to simulate trips between the Moon’s surface and lunar orbit. The vehicle must fly to an altitude of 50 meters, translate to a landing pad 100 meters away, land safely, and then return following the same path. Two levels have been defined: one with smooth landing pads, the other with a replica lunar surface as an additional difficulty.

Continue reading ‘Lunar Lander Challenge Set for October in New Mexico’

(Ne)X(t) Prizes: Cancer, Oceans, and Living to 225

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Doug
on April 27, 2008
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The Space Prizes blog has an account of a podcast given by X Prize Founder Peter Diamandis as part of the Stanford Entrepreneurs program. Diamandis said the foundation plans to expand into the following areas:

  • deep sea exploration to map the ocean floor
  • a cancer cure prize with Lance Armstrong
  • doubling or tripling the human lifespan

The X Prize Foundation also is considering “My X Prize” competitions that would allow local groups to develop their own prize concepts.

Commercial Space Still Searching for Big VC Investments

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on April 12, 2008
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Although much money has been invested in start-up commercial space companies, the industry has yet to attract the mainstream venture capitalists who fueled the development of computers and the Internet, Investor’s Business Daily reports.

However, experts believe that the time isn’t too far off when venture capitalists will put serious money into the field.

“The investment community has very much a herd mentality, and what we need is a Netscape event,” said X-Prize founder Peter Diamandis, referring to the Internet pioneer’s initial public offering. “Until then, (this industry) will rely on private benefactors who are very passionate about space.”

National Space Society Executive Director George Whitesides, who also is a consultant for Virgin Galactic, agreed. “We’re at a dynamic moment in space history. We have a handful of very credible players who very soon will start launching things and people into space,” he said.

Diamandis Wows Crowd at WAI Conference; Announces Plans for New Zero-G Program

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on March 20, 2008
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X-Prize creator Peter Diamandis recently spoke at the Women in Aviation International Conference. Aero-News.net’s correspondent Aleta Vinas has an account of the speech in which Diamandis recounted his efforts at fostering private space flight and his plans for the future.

During the talk, Diamandis announced plans to create a new program to inspire female students to pursue careers in aerospace. Five hundred of the top female high school or junior high school students would experience micro-gravity aboard the Zero-G aircraft. Diamandis co-founded the company.

Alan Boyle also has an interesting interview with Diamandis this week over at Cosmic Log. Diamandis talks about his plans for the Automotive X Prize and competitions in other areas. He also gives a heart-felt tribute to his friend and mentor, Arthur C. Clarke, who recently passed away.

Space Adventures Buys Zero-G

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on March 19, 2008
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Space Adventures has consolidated its position in the space tourism market by acquiring a 100 percent stake in Zero-G, a company that provides micro-gravity aircraft flights. No price was disclosed.

“Bringing the companies together allows us to provide a range of exclusive commercial spaceflight services from parabolic flights to orbital missions,” said Zero-G CEO Peter Diamandis.

Diamandis, who also co-founded Space Adventures, remains as Zero-G’s chief executive and becomes a managing director of Space Adventures. Former NASA astronaut Byron Lichtenberg will stay as Zero-G’s chief technology officer.

Space Adventures was already a major investor in Zero-G. The Vienna, Virginia-based company provides tourism flights to the International Space Station and is planning similar missions around the moon. Zero-G is based in Florida and Las Vegas.

Space.com has more information. You can also read Space Adventures‘ press release.

Arthur C. Clarke, 1917-2008

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on March 18, 2008
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Famed science and science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke died at his home in Sri Lanka today at the age of 90. Perhaps best known as the co-author of the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, the British-born visionary wrote more than 100 books about space, science and the future.

Clarke is credited with conceiving the idea for the geosynchronous communication satellite in 1945, about 20 years before they become practical. He envisioned satellites orbiting at approximately 22,300 miles, which allows them to match the orbit of the Earth and thus remain fixed over the same spot. These are also known as Clarke orbits.

He later helped inspire Robert Richards, Todd Hawley and Peter Diamandis to found the International Space University. Clarke served as chancellor of the Strasbourg-based graduate school.

Arthur C. Clarke was a giant in fields of space, science and science fiction. He will be sorely missed. Rest in peace, Arthur.

Coverage

BBC News: Story, Tribute by Patrick Moore, 1985 Interview, Clips from 2001

Bloomberg.com: Story with biographical information

Daily Telegraph (England): Obituary

Private Race to the Moon Takes Off

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Doug
on February 23, 2008
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Ten teams are now competing in the Google Lunar X PRIZE challenge, the race to land a robotic spacecraft on the moon.

The X Prize Foundation revealed that nine additional teams had joined the competition during a press conference this week at Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. “It’s not just a new mission,” said X Prize CEO Peter Diamandis announced. “It’s a new way of doing business.”

The 10 teams are:

Aeronautics and Cosmonautics Romanian Association (ARCA): Based in Valcea, Romania and led by Dumitru Popescu, ARCA was also a contender in the Ansari X PRIZE.

Astrobotic: Team Astrobotic, led by Dr. William “Red” Whittaker, was formed to coordinate the efforts of Carnegie Mellon University, Raytheon Company and additional institutions.

Chandah: Chandah, meaning “Moon” in Sanskrit, was founded by Adil Jafry, an energy industry entrepreneur. He is now chairman and CEO of Tara, the largest independent retail electricity provider in Texas.

FREDNET: Headed by Fred J. Bourgeois III, this multi-national team is comprised of systems, software, and hardware developers who serve as the leaders and overall coordinators of an international group of Open Source developers, engineers, and scientists.

LunaTrex: Led by Pete Bitar, LunaTrex is comprised of several individuals, companies, and universities from all over the United States, some of whom were also competitors for the Ansari X PRIZE.

Micro-Space: Helmed by Richard Speck and based in Colorado, Micro-Space, Inc. has a 31-year history of producing world class, high tech products.

Odyssey Moon: The first team to register for the competition, Odyssey Moon is a private commercial lunar enterprise headquartered in the Isle of Man and founded by Dr. Robert Richards.

Quantum3: A U.S.-based team, Quantum3 is led by Paul Carliner, a senior executive in the aerospace industry.

Southern California Selene Group: According to team leader Harold Rosen, the approach taken by the Santa Monica Selene Group can be succinctly summarized as “an elegantly simple design that is relatively inexpensive to implement.”

Team Italia: Based in Italy and led by Prof. Amalia Ercoli-Finzi, Team Italia is a collaboration between several universities. The team is currently running a prototype of its system at Politecnico di Milano.

X Prize has full details about the competitors on its website. Space.com has a comprehensive story.