New Google Lunar X PRIZE Team: Moon Express! October 28, 2010
Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, Google Lunar X PRIZE Team Profile, Moon Express, Odyssey Moon , trackbackMoon Express is now officially a Google Lunar X PRIZE team!
Revealed last week through NASA’s awarding of Innovative Lunar Demonstration Data contracts, Moon Express enters the competition with surprising thump right off the bat.
Based out of San Francisco, CA, the team is headed by former Odyssey Moon CEO Dr. Bob Richards. Richards had resigned from Odyssey Moon—the first Google Lunar X PRIZE team—in late August:
“However, as reported by Parabolic Arc today, I have departed as CEO of Odyssey Moon. After founding Odyssey Moon and taking it as far as I could as its chief executive, the rationale for investing my time and energy timed out and I have had to resign as CEO to pursue funded ventures.”- Dr. Bob Richards, “A Personal Odyssey” post on his ‘B-LOG‘
His reappearance on a new team—NASA funding in hand—just a month and a half later marks a fascinating twist in the GLXP story…
Odyssey Moon (as of today, 10/27/10) has never mentioned his departure on their official site, press release or otherwise. In that quote above from Dr. Richards’ blog, he states his reason for resigning Odyssey Moon is to pursue “funded ventures”. Clearly, his new venture is Moon Express…but is the “funded” part a contrast to Odyssey Moon?
Part of the relative funding question could be answered in the logo of Moon Express, as seen above: very, very American. Their website, as well, is very red, white, and blue. Why the clear U.S. emphasis?
NASA’s new ILDD contracts were only awarded to U.S.-based GLXP teams; Odyssey Moon, while in part American (as they asserted in the comments of my American GLXP Teams feature in February), are headquartered on The Isle of Man.
“The GLXP and NASA ILDD program are very exciting competitions that represent the knee in the curve of opportunity for the commercial lunar industry. The rising tide floats all boats.” -Dr. Bob Richards, “Moon Express” post on his ‘B-LOG‘
So, regardless of Odyssey Moon’s state of funding, Moon Express was able to catch that NASA ILDD funding tide…and Odyssey Moon, despite their previous standing at the forefront of the GLXP, was not. Was that due to their being HQ’ed outside the U.S.? Only time will tell if more details will come out about this shift.
A few more bits of note: The first Moon Express blog post, about their press release, is written by another (apparently) former Odyssey Moon employee [authorship of that post, at end]: Daven Maharaj. So, Dr. Richards has taken at least one Odyssey Mooner with him.
Also, on the official GLXP Teams listing, instead of being at the bottom of the chronological order (as new teams typically are), they are in at number 8. Number 9 is Advaeros, announced in 2008, so it appears Moon Express has potentially been an entity for a while now.
Is Moon Express, then, on the fast track to the forefront of the GLXP? It certainly appears so. They have serious experience, and serious NASA funding, already at their sails.
—
With teams like this and Rocket City Space Pioneers coming in so late with so much muscle power, and things getting so unexpectedly shaken up…it’s anyone’s prize. The GLXP has become more than just an important technical prize, and more than just a human story; it’s also become a heck of a good yarn! Perhaps beyond anyone’s expectations.
And we’re just getting started…as if it wasn’t already, this race could be one for the ages.
Comments»
There are suggestions that Moon Express has grown out of Chandah, which may explain its location on the team page. Chandah appeared to have done very little (though we never know what is happening behind the scenes), but it would have had substantial financial backing from its founder. Many other teams seem to have other aspects of the mission in place but lack funding. A merging of expertise and connections with a major financial backer may be what we are seeing here. Interesting to see where this will go!
Ah, interesting…Will Pomerantz did mention in his big GLXP Upate this week that it is ‘inevitable’ that there’d be “consolidation”, as well as attrition among the teams (http://bit.ly/bQ3xhw).
I was a little surprised at the idea, but perhaps this is what he’s referring to.
Great post, Nick. I can confirm that Moon Express is indeed an evolution of Team Chandah (which is why MoonEx is positioned as the #8 team). Expect more details to be released from both MoonEx and Odyssey Moon sometime in the near future… I know both teams have been quite busy!
Great post Nick. In November 2008, two LOI teams [ InterPlanetary Ventures & Human Synergy Moon Project ] decided that the best way to pursue GLXP is to join forces and we formed and fully registered the Team SYNERGY MOON. I can only say it was the best decision that we made.
More SYNERGY news to come soon from our side :)
Neb
Thank you both :)
I guess this shows the value (and importance?) of evolution in the GLXP; when venturing into new territory, that adaptability and open-mindedness proves handy. Especially in highly competitive new territory. (Makes me think of Lincoln in the civil war—an open-minded man if there ever was one.) New frontiers are, you could say, unpredictable by their very nature of being new.
Looking forward to the twists the GLXP frontier will continue to bring, from all teams :)
-Nick