Tag Archive for 'x prize'

Ten Teams to Compete in 2008 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge

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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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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.

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.

Google Lunar X Prize News Roundup for March 15

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on March 15, 2008
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William Pomerantz site has a blog entry about the winners of the 2008 Botball Design Challenge. High school and middle school students studied the Google Lunar X Prize, designed lunar landers, and developed web materials to promote their ideas.

The Google Lunar X Prize website also has updates from some of the the teams this week. To get an overview, visit the main site here or you can click on individual articles below.

Lunatrex: Lunar landing is key
March 13, 2008

Micro Space: The Google Lander: a stepping stone to Mars
March 13, 2008

Quantum3: Innovation in the Private Sector Created the Foundation for Space Exploration
March 11, 2008

Lunatrex: LunaTrex Outreach Program begun by sponsoring University Rocket Team
March 11, 2008

Micro Space: Human and Robotic Lunar Lander Status
March 07, 2008

SCSG: The Big Elephant in the Room: FUNDING
February 29, 2008

Learning from (and Partnering with) Space Entrepreneurs

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on March 8, 2008
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The X PRIZE Foundation’s Director of Space Projects William Pomerantz discusses how small entrepreneurial companies can partner with larger space firms and government agencies in an article for Ask, NASA’s in-house publication for project management and engineering excellence.

Pomerantz says that although many of the companies who compete in the X PRIZE’s competitions enjoy advantages over larger more traditional aerospace organizations, significant partnership opportunities exist.

“The good news is that, despite the occasional playful bravado of some of the more colorful characters involved in these competitions, all our teams are die-hard supporters of a robust space exploration program and will gladly do their parts. As such, they can function as highly specialized components of the greater aerospace workforce,” Pomerantz writes.

“These small, innovative teams can quickly and cheaply provide services to their larger brethren. Whether it is a Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge team providing a flying platform capable of carrying experimental sensors on dozens of flights a week, or Ansari X PRIZE competitors carrying scientific payloads and their human operators into the blackness of space, or the eventual Google Lunar X PRIZE winners testing systems and returning data that will support NASA’s return to the moon, the entrepreneurial community is poised to help the national space program like never before.”

Google Lunar X Prize News Roundup

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There have been a series of stories about and interviews with the leaders of teams competing for the Google Lunar X Prize. The groups are competing to land a rover on the lunar surface. The interviews include:

INTERNATIONAL SPACE FELLOWSHIP

Team Italia

Team Cringely

InterPlanetary Ventures

NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO (AUDIO FILES)

Team FredNet

Scotland Joins the Google X Prize Moon Race

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on March 2, 2008
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A group at Glasgow University in Scotland has announced plans to join the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize competition. The group, lead by Dr. Gianmarco Radice, put out a call for partners last Friday, according to the Sunday Herald.

“We are looking for partners to join us - we can definitely get to the moon,” he said. “It is very expensive though, so it’s more a prestige thing than an economic investment. It would be quite a PR stunt, to say the least.”

Ten teams are already competing for the prize, which requires landing rover on the lunar surface by 2012.