Category Archives: Google Lunar XPRIZE

Thursday / 16 January 2014

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GLXP Teams Advancing To Moon As Penultimate Year Of Competition Commences

GLXP0114Update

Penn State Lunar Lion  Team Becomes 4th Team To Announce Launch Contract – Q4 2015 Via Team Phoenicia LLC, Lion Now Listed 3rd On Unofficial Contest Leaderboard; Team SpaceIL Of Israel Announces Successful Development Of Probe Propulsion System, Produced By Israel Aircraft Industries; Team Puli Of Hungary Completes Successful Simulation Of Lunar Rover Mission  Including ‘Maunacast’ At PISCES Center In Hawaii 

Image Credit: GLXP

New Year / Holiday Edition
Wed 25 Dec 2013 – Fri 3 Jan 2014

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2020 Vision: Humanity A Multi World Species

LED-12-12-13Multi Nation Science And Commerce Human Lunar Expeditions 2019-2020 Preceded By Moon South Pole International Traffic Jam 2015-2016 With Robotic Landings From USA, PRC, Japan, India, Russia, as well as Moon Express / ILOA, Golden Spike, Shackleton Energy, Astrobotic, Lunar Lions, Others; NEOs, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn Next

Ad Astra — Happy New Year / Holidays To All

 Image Credit: NASA, ILOA, ME, Penn State Lunar Lions, Astrobotic Technology

Wednesday / 11 December 2013

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Moon Express Unveils Innovative Lunar Lander

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MX-1 Lander Lacks Legs & Typical ‘Bus’ Structure, Instead Using Fuel Tanks For Structural Integrity And Landing Stability; Craft Weighs 600kg When Fully Fueled (75% Of Mass = Fuel), Capable Of Delivering 60kg To Lunar Surface; Moon Express Co-Founder & CEO Bob Richards Says Engineering Prototype May Be Ready For Testing By May 2014; 2015 Mission Will Deliver International Lunar Observatory Precursor Instrument (ILO-X) To Moon, Compete For GLXP

Image Credit: Moon Express

Tuesday / 26 November 2013

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Lunar Lion Team Sets Launch For July 2015

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Penn State GLXP Team Pays Launch Reservation Fee To Team Phoenicia LLC, New Space Launch Services Provider Offering Significant Savings And More Flexibility; Will Share Launch With Several Spacecraft, Some Released In LEO Before Rest Are Pushed On Lunar-Intercept Trajectory; SHERPA Hosted Payload Platform / In-Space Maneuvering Stage To Bring 5 Additional Spacecraft Up To 330Kg Each To Trans-Lunar Injection Orbit

Image Credit: Penn State Lunar Lion, Andrews Space

Friday / 22 November 2013

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Launching Life To The Moon In 2015

Plants On Moon

Lunar Plant Growth Habitat Team Of NASA Ames Research Center Will Try To Grow Arabidopsis, Basil, Sunflowers, Turnips In Coffee-Can-Sized Aluminum Cylinders On Moon; NASA Expects To Build / Launch For Under US$2M By Buying Space On Commercial Launch Of GLXP Team; Chief Biologist Dr. Robert Bowman (Center) Points Out Need To Understand Plant Ability To Overcome Stress Of Space Radiation, Moon Partial Gravity, Small / Controlled Environment For Use In Human Solar System Buildout

Image Credit: NASA, Hemil Modi

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 1-4 Nov 2013

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Opportunities Abound For Lunar Explorers

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London Economic Market Study Commissioned By GLXP Projects US$Billions Of Profit From Commercial Opportunities On Moon In Next Decades; $1.9B Over Next Decade Mainly From Government Customers, 25-Year Projection Is $6.9B In Profits Predominantly From Private Sector Customers; Moon Express CEO Naveen Jain Says $150M Robotic Moon Mission Could Return $Billions Worth Of Material To Earth

Image Credit: Wired, NASA, Dreamstime

Friday / 1 November 2013

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GLXP Teams Progressing

GLXP News

Italia (Italy) Contractors Working On Final Refinement Of Lunar Lander Design With Special Attention On Propulsion Subsystem; AngelicvM (Chile) Planning Research Center In Curacavi, Will Sponsor 2014 Global Aerospace Summit In Abu Dhabi; Puli (Hungary) Hosting 2nd Campaign To Raise Funds To Test 1 of 2 Rovers On Slopes Of Mauna Kea, Hawai`i

Image Credit: Italia, AngelicvM, Puli

Thursday / 24 October 2013

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GLXP Featured In New Planetarium Show

TimAllenShow1013

Back To The Moon For Good, Educational Fulldome Show To Debut In Over 80 Planetariums Around The World In Nov 2013; Narrated By Tim Allen, 25-Minute Show Features Insider Look At Teams Vying For US$30M Google Lunar XPRIZE, Animates Successful Launch / Landing / Tour Of Lunar Surface / Future Moon Settlement; Several GLXP Teams Now Planning To Launch Together To Save On Costs

Image Credit: GLXP, Disney / Pixar

Wednesday / 9 October 2013

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New Moon Race Heating Up

RaceToMoon

China, India, Russia, USA All Planning Moon Missions In This Decade; UK, ESA, South Korea To Follow Post-2020; As Many As 3 GLXP Teams Could Also Land On Moon By 2015 Heralding Age Of Commercial Mining / Exploration; With Well-Funded Lunar Program, First Moon Lander In 37 Years (Chang’e-3 In Dec 2013) & Serious Study Of Human Moon Missions – China Is Leading Way & Compelling International Rivals / Partners To Keep Pace

Image Credit: Dreamstime, GLXP, History Channel

Weekend Edition / Fri-Mon 4-7 October 2013

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GLXP Teams Poised To Make Valuable Contributions To Lunar Exploration

GLXPupdate1013

Astrobotic Conducts Full Deployment Field Test Of Moon Cave Exploration Robot ‘Tyrobot’, Producing 3D Model Of A Pit In PA; Barcelona Moon Provides Info About Their Launcher / Lander / Rover & Budget (US$73M); Omega Envoy Set To Debut Student-Designed ‘Artemis’ Rover At Mini Maker Faire In FL, 5 Oct; Futron Says Potential For Lunar Markets From 2011-2019 Is ~US$1.56B 

Image Credit: GLXP, Futron