Category Archives: Astrobotic

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 2-5 December 2016

Posted on by

GLXP Teams Must Provide Launch Contract Before 2017 To Stay In Competition: 4 Verified, 1 Newly Contracted

glxp-teams-dec-2016

Nearing 1-Year Mark To Claim US$20M First Place Prize, GLXP Teams Have Until 31 Dec 2016 To Contract With Launch Provider; Israel SpaceIL With Hopper Lander Has Verified SpaceX Launch, USA Moon Express Hopper Lander Verified Contract With Rocket Lab (And Has FAA Approval For Mission), USA Synergy Moon Lander & 2 Rovers Verified With Interorbital, India Team Indus Lander & Rover Verified With ISRO PSLV; Germany Part Time Scientists Lander & 2 Rovers SpaceX Contract Via Spaceflight Industries Not Yet Verified; USA Astrobotic Lander (With Andy Rover) – Carrying Japan Hakuto 2 Rovers & Chile AngelicvM Uni Rover – Still Planning SpaceX Launch

Credits: Moon Express, Astrobotic, Hakuto, SpaceIL, Part Time Scientists, Synergy Moon, Team Indus, AngelicvM, GLXP

Weekend Edition
Thu-Mon / 24-28 November 2016

Posted on by

USA Lunar Transport Enterprises Submitting RFI Proposals For NASA Payload Delivery 2017-2020

nasa-rfi-lunar

Seeking To Address Strategic Knowledge Gaps In Lunar Resource Potential, Lunar Environment & Its Effects On Humans, NASA Asks USA Commercial Lunar Cargo Transportation Service Providers To Propose (By 9 December) Payload Delivery Options Available In 2017-2020; Moon Express Announces It Will Give US$500,000 For Each NASA Payload On First Three MX-1 Missions ($1.5M Total) Under Lunar Scout Program; Astrobotic Proposes Dollar For Dollar Matching Program (Up To US$12M) – For Every NASA Payload Selected To Fly On Astrobotic 1st Mission 2017, It Will Provide Second Mission In 2021 At No Charge

Credits: Moon Express, Astrobotic

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 23-26 Sep 2016

Posted on by

The Moon, Mars And A Multi World Species

led-9-23-16

The Moon, Earth Closest Celestial Neighbor / The ‘8th Continent’, And The New Frontier Moon South Pole May Be The 1st And Most Logical Step Toward Establishing & Sustaining Humans As A Multi World Species And Exploring Solar System Complete; Luna Is Almost 600 Times Closer To Earth Than Mars On Average; Projections Indicate Human Moon Missions Could Occur Within 5-7 Years For ~US$10B; Countries China, India, Japan, Russia, S. Korea, Europe & Commercial Entities ILOA, Moon Express, Astrobotic, Canadensys, Bigelow, Blue Origin And Others Are Making Moon Missions A Priority

Pictured: Multi World Explorers Remaining

Credits: NASA, ILOA, SPC, ESA

 

Friday / 1 July 2016

Posted on by

GLXP Team Indus Offering Public Project Ride To Moon, Astrobotic Selects New Mission Director

Team Indus

From 28 Jun – 30 Aug Young Adults Ages 14-25 Able To Register Via Lab2Moon For Their Experiment To Fly On Team Indus Craft To Moon Surface 2017; Project Should Fit Inside 330-ml Can, Weigh Less Than 250-grams & “Catalyse The Evolution Of Mankind As A Sustainable Multi-Planetary Species”; Winner Announced 26 Jan 2017, Selection Jury Will Include Dr. K. Kasturirangan (BR), Former Chairman Of ISRO; Team Indus With 85 Engineers & 15 Former ISRO Scientists Hoping For Subsidized ISRO Launch; Astrobotic Announces Sharad Bhaskaran (BL) As New Lunar Mission Director   

Credit: Team Indus, GLXP, Lab2Moon, Cairo University, IEEE, Astrobotic, NASA

Friday / 3 June 2016

Posted on by

Astrobotic Signs More Partners For Lunar Lander Development, Payload Delivery Services

Astrobotic Lunar Delivery

Astrobotic CEO John Thornton Unveils New ~1.5-meter Tall Peregrine Lander, New Partners DHL & Airbus Defence And Space, Adding To Existing Support From Aerojet Rocketdyne & NASA CATALYST Program; Astrobotic Stacking Up Contracts & Agreements For Lunar Delivery (US$1.2M/kg To Surface) Including GLXP Teams AngelicvM & Hakuto (With 2 Rovers), Payloads From Mexican Space Agency, DLR, Astroscale, Lunar Mission One, Elysium Space, Carnegie Mellon University & Celestis, Stating “Launch Procured From SpaceX” Q4 2017 To Lacus Mortis Without Verified Launch Contract As Of Yet

Credit: Astrobotic, AngelicM, Hakuto, AEM, Elysium, CMU, LM1, DLR, Celestis, Astroscale, GLXP

Wednesday / 18 November 2015

Posted on by

Astrobotic Signs MoU With Germany DLR For Lunar Payload Commercial Partnership

11182015DLR MoU To Explore Concepts For Possible Payload On Astrobotic Lunar Lander; Dr. Gerd Gruppe (L) Of German Space Agency DLR Executive Board States “Astrobotic Is A Representative Of The New Space Economy”; DLR Research & Development Work In Aeronautics, Space, Energy, Transport Will Be Supported By Astrobotic Delivery Service; “This Collaboration With DLR Underscores The Strong Interest Of Government Space Agencies Across The Globe In Growing Commercial Partnership To Fly To The Moon” States Astrobotic CEO John Thornton (R)

Credit: Astrobotic, DLR

Tuesday / 3 November 2015

Posted on by

GLXP Teams Gear Up For 2017 Moon Missions:
Six Leading The Competition

11032015Efforts To Kick-Start Commercial Lunar Enterprise Advancing With Verified Launch Contracts, Ride Shares & GLXP Competition Extension; SpaceIL Preparing For SpaceX Launch Mid 2017, Craft To Solar Recharge Batteries Before 500m Race; Astrobotic Offering Ride Share Low-Cost Lunar Delivery Service With CEO Stating Team Will Be “The DHL To The Moon”; Teams Hakuto & AngelicvM Aboard With Astrobotic; Hakuto Additional Goal Will Be The Use Of Second Rover To Explore Caves For Potential Future Human Habitats; Moon Express Aiming For 2017 Launch With Rocket Lab; Part-Time Scientists Developing Space-Grade Parts Via 3D Printing

Credit: GLXP, Astrobotic, Hakuto, SpaceIL, Moon Express, Part-Time Scientists, AngelicvM

Wednesday / 28 October 2015

Posted on by

AngelicvM Joins GLXP Collaboration With Astrobotic & Hakuto

10282015Team Astrobotic To Carry Chile Team AngelicvM 5kg Rover ‘Uni’ On Mission To Moon; Japan Team Hakuto Also Sharing Cost Of Mission & Potential Prize; Astrobotic To Deploy Uni, 2 Hakuto Rovers & Its Own Andy Rover To Travel 500 Meters On Lunar Surface; Astrobotic CEO John Thornton States “Team AngelicvM Shares Our Vision Of Uniting And Inspiring Individuals To Look To The Moon As The Next Great Destination For Exploration And Discovery”; Astrobotic Goal To Fill Payload Space On Lander By Early 2016 With Inclusion Of Lunar Mission One, Mexican Space Agency & 1 Possible Other GLXP Team; Launch Proposed With SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket NET 2017

Credit: GLXP, Astrobotic, Hakuto, Tohoku University Research News of Engineering, Angelicvm

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 October 2015

Posted on by

2017 Lunar Lander Prospects:
Astrobotic, Chang’e-5, Chandrayaan-2, Moon Express, SpaceIL, Moonspike

101720152017 Moon Exploration Progressing With Private-Funding & International Initiatives; Team Astrobotic Earlier Announced Potential SpaceX Launch With Confirmation Of Contract Pending; China Chang’e-5 & India Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Missions Reveal International Desire To Advance Human Exploration; Moon Express Five Launch Deal With Rocket Lab, Including GLXP Launch, Demonstrates Momentum; Team SpaceIL To Be World’s First Verified Moon Launch Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9; Moonspike Kickstarter Fundraising Effort Underway To Design & Construct Fully Fledged Three-Stage Moon Rocket

Credit: CCTV, CNSA, CAS, Astrobotic, Moon Express, Space IL, Moonspike, ISRO

Thursday / 8 October 2015

Posted on by

Israel Google Lunar XPrize Team SpaceIL Declares Launch Contract With SpaceX

1082015With Competition Extension Deadline Approaching SpaceIL Ticket Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 For Second Half Of 2017 Extends Competition; GLXP Vice Chairman Bob Weiss (BL) Confirms SpaceIL “As The First And Only” Team To Have Verified Launch Contract; Launcher Was Purchased Via Spaceflight Industries With President Curt Blake (BC) Sharing Excitement In Achieving “SpaceIL’s Quest To Win The Google Lunar XPRIZE”; In Order To Win Team Will Need To Land On Moon & Rover Must Explore 500 Meters Then Transmit Images Back To Earth; Contender Moon Express Announcement With Rocket Lab Also Supporting Its Competition Goals; Teams Astrobotic & Hakuto Planning Cooperative Launch Also Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket

Pictured (BR): SpaceIL Team

Credit: GLXP, SpaceX, SpaceIL, Spaceflight Industries, Moon Express, Astrobotic, Hakuto