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Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup #37 November 14, 2010

Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, Google Lunar X Prize Roundup , add a comment

The Google Lunar X PRIZE is a $30 million competition challenging private space enterprises to land a rover on the Moon. Each week, I round up all the latest developments as the teams rocket forwards and upwards…

Nov. 1st-8th produced a pretty neat batch of articles around the GLXP, including an interview with an Apollo rover developer…

Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup #36 November 6, 2010

Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, Google Lunar X Prize Roundup , add a comment

The Google Lunar X PRIZE is a $30 million competition challenging private space enterprises to land a rover on the Moon. Each week, I round up all the latest developments as the teams rocket forwards and upwards…

A sad note this week, as the GLXP lost a team leader to the great beyond. As we remember Richard Speck, the spirit of this efforts thrives on:

Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup #35 October 28, 2010

Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, Google Lunar X Prize Roundup , add a comment

The Google Lunar X PRIZE is a $30 million competition challenging private space enterprises to land a rover on the Moon. Each week, I round up all the latest developments as the teams rocket forwards and upwards…

After a pretty epic week last week, Oct. 19th-26th was a little milder; that’s only comparatively, though, as there was a great official post and plenty of news to go around!:

  • GLXP Guy Will Pomerantz posted a thorough update on where the GLXP stands and is going :)
  • Team FREDNET officially became a nonprofit!
  • Team Moon Express issued their official announcement press release! (Check out my in-depth feature on the team’s entry!)
  • Team Part Time Scientists tested a prototype of their rover on beach sand :)
  • Team Omega Envoy sat down for an Evadot podcast!
  • Team Astrobotic blogged about solar energy tracking!
  • Team SELENE featured a “stinger missile” rover design!
  • Team ARCA announced plans to create a series of documentaries on their effort!
  • Team Synergy Moon posted about the Ruđer Bošković Institute!

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 , 5comments

Moon 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.

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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.

Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup #34 October 23, 2010

Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, Google Lunar X Prize Roundup , add a comment

The Google Lunar X PRIZE is a $30 million competition challenging private space enterprises to land a rover on the Moon. Each week, I round up all the latest developments as the teams rocket forwards and upwards…

Oct 12th-19th was a landmark week for the GLXP: NASA awarded a huge shot in the arm to six teams, including a previously unannounced one! All the details for a great week:

I’ve tinkered with the format a bit with this roundup: having enabled Apture on the site (highlight any text to learn more about it via a handy on-page search and awesomeness box), it greatly reduces the sometimes-crazy amount of linkage I’ve had on posts before.

A question for you: are links on every team name important, or is Apture and the linked news enough to get you info on them (and keep the posts readable)?

NASA Awards Innovative Lunar Demonstration Data (ILDD) Contracts! October 19, 2010

Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, NASA, private space , 1 comment so far

NASA has offered six contracts under its new Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data (ILDD) program, all to Google Lunar X PRIZE competitors—including the new Moon Express team!

Each contract can be worth up to $10 million, coming from the total pool of $30.1 million.

The recipients:

NASA will essentially pay these companies for data they collect on how to operate a low-cost lunar mission. As the official Google Lunar X PRIZE site notes, each award starts as at least $10,000, and can grow as teams supply new data packages.

The idea behind this program (and others forwarded by the Obama administration) is to focus NASA on the development of the private space industry, which could therefore in turn help the American economy; all six recipients being based in the U.S. (See my feature from February on the American GLXP teams.)

Something to note is the total amount available: $30.1 million, which happens to be very close to the $30 million in prizes available from winning the X PRIZE itself. The GLXP funds are a $15-20 million (depending on completion date) main prize, a $5 million second prize, and $5 million in bonus prizes. So, the final funds these teams could have available from the ILDD could very well end up being more than they could get from the GLXP itself (all six can’t win the big bacon, after all).

So, not only are these six enterprises getting a potentially very nice boost, one of them could then (thanks in part to the boost itself) then go on to win the prize money…and bring it home to the good ol’ US of A. Seems like a pretty shrewd way for the U.S. government to support the industry many ways, with one move.

Regardless, this cements the long-term prospects of all involved (and gets the new Moon Express team, headed by former Odyssey Moon leader Bob Richards, off to a hot start). For an analysis of the teams’ standings, funding and otherwise, check out Evadot’s updated GLXP Scorecard :)

Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup #33 October 14, 2010

Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, Google Lunar X Prize Roundup , add a comment

An exciting week for Google Lunar X PRIZE coverage, with the annual Team Summit wrapping up and a ranking of the GLXP teams being published! Not to mention, announcements related to payload space on a mission and involvements with space tourism.

Here’s all the details for Oct. 5th-12th:

Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup #32 October 6, 2010

Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, Google Lunar X Prize Roundup , 1 comment so far

As World Space Week begins, it’s been a big week around the Google Lunar X PRIZE, with one team successfully launching a rocket, and most of the teams gathering at the annual GLXP summit.

Here’s all the neat details from Sept. 27th-Oct. 4th:

Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup #31 September 30, 2010

Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, Google Lunar X Prize Roundup , add a comment

Here’s the latest roundup of Google Lunar X PRIZE goodness, covering the week of Sept. 20-27th!:

Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup #30 September 22, 2010

Posted by Nick Azer in : Google Lunar X Prize, Google Lunar X Prize Roundup , add a comment

Hot on the heels of the three-week Google Lunar X PRIZE Roundup #29, here’s #30, getting the Roundups back into a weekly rotation.

All your GLXP goodness for the week of September 13th-20th:

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