Google Lunar X Prize Explained

Google Lunar X Prize
Awarded For:"landing a robot on the surface of the Moon, traveling 500 meters over the lunar surface, and sending images and data back to the Earth."
Presenter:X Prize Foundation (organizer),
Google (sponsor)
Country:Worldwide
Reward:US$20 million for the winner,
US$5 million for second place,
US$4 million in technical bonuses,
US$1 million diversity award
Website:lunar.xprize.org

The Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP) was a 2007–2018 inducement prize space competition organized by the X Prize Foundation, and sponsored by Google. The challenge called for privately funded teams to be the first to land a lunar rover on the Moon, travel 500 meters, and transmit back to Earth high-definition video and images.[1]

The original deadline was the end of 2014, with additional prize money for a landing by 2012. In 2015, XPRIZE announced that the competition deadline would be extended to December 2017 if at least one team could secure a verified launch contract by 31 December 2015.[2] Two teams secured such a launch contract, and the deadline was extended.[3] In August 2017, the deadline was extended again, to 31 March 2018.[4]

Entering 2018, five teams remained in the competition: SpaceIL,[5] Moon Express, Synergy Moon, TeamIndus, and Team Hakuto,[6] having secured verified launch contracts with Spaceflight Industries, Rocket Lab, Interorbital Systems, and ISRO (jointly for the last two teams).[3] [7] [8]

On 23 January 2018, the X Prize Foundation announced that "no team would be able to make a launch attempt to reach the Moon by the [31 March 2018] deadline...and the US$30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE will go unclaimed."[9] On 5 April 2018, the X Prize Foundation announced that the Lunar XPRIZE would continue as a non-cash competition.[10]

On 11 April 2019, the SpaceIL Beresheet spacecraft crashed while attempting to land on the moon. The SpaceIL team was awarded a $1 million "Moonshot Award" by the X Prize Foundation in recognition of touching the surface of the Moon.

Competition summary

The Google Lunar XPRIZE was announced at the Wired Nextfest on 13 September 2007.[11] The competition offered a total of US$30 million in prizes to the first privately funded teams to land a robot on the Moon that travels more than 500 meters (1,640 ft) and transmits back high-definition images and video. The first team to do so would have received the US$20 million grand prize; the second team to do so, a US$5 million second prize.[12] Teams could earn additional money by completing tasks beyond the baseline requirements required to win the grand or second prize, such as traveling ten times the baseline requirements (greater than 5,000 meters (3 mi)), capturing images of the remains of Apollo program hardware or other man-made objects on the Moon, verifying from the lunar surface the recent detection of water ice on the Moon, or surviving a lunar night. Additionally, a US$1 million diversity award was to be given to teams that make strides in promoting ethnic diversity in STEM fields.

To provide an added incentive for teams to complete their missions quickly, it was announced that the prize would decrease from US$20 million to US$15 million whenever a government-led mission lands on and explores the lunar surface.[13] However, in November 2013, the organizers and the teams agreed to drop this rule as the Chinese Chang'e 3 probe prepared to land on the Moon in December 2013.[14]

In 2015, XPRIZE announced that the competition deadline would be extended to December 2017 if at least one team could secure a verified launch contract by 31 December 2015.[2] Two teams secured such a launch contract, and the deadline was extended.[3]

XPRIZE announced 5 finalists on 24 January 2017.[15] SpaceIL, Moon Express, Synergy Moon, Team Indus, and Hakuto having secured verified launch contracts for 2017 (with SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Interorbital Systems and ISRO respectively).[3] [7] All other teams had until the end of 2016 to secure a verified launch contract, but failed to meet this deadline.[16]

The Google Lunar XPRIZE expired on 31 March 2018 as none of the five final teams were able to launch their vehicles by the deadline. Google declined to further extend the deadline,[17] and the prize went unclaimed.[18]

Overview

Peter Diamandis, the project founder, wrote on the official web page in 2007:

The goal of the Google Lunar X Prize was similar to that of the Ansari X Prize: to inspire a new generation of private investment in hopes of developing more cost-effective technologies and materials to overcome many limitations of space exploration that are currently taken for granted.

History

The Google Lunar XPRIZE was announced in 2007.[19] Similar to the way in which the Ansari XPRIZE was formed, the Google Lunar XPRIZE was created out of a former venture of Peter Diamandis to achieve a similar goal. Diamandis served as CEO of BlastOff! Corporation, a commercial initiative to land a robotic spacecraft on the Moon as a mix of entertainment, internet, and space. Although it was ultimately unsuccessful, the BlastOff! initiative paved the way for the Google Lunar X Prize.[20]

Initially, NASA was the planned sponsor and the prize purse was just US$20 million. As NASA is a federal agency of the United States government, and thus funded by U.S. tax money, the prize would only have been available to teams from the United States. The original intention was to propose the idea to other national space agencies, including the European Space Agency and the Japanese space agency, in the hope that they would offer similar prize purses.[21]

However, budget setbacks stopped NASA from sponsoring the prize. Peter Diamandis then presented the idea to Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-founders of Google, at an XPRIZE fundraiser. They agreed to sponsor it, and also to increase the prize purse to US$30 million, allowing for a second place prize, as well as bonus prizes.

Extensions of the deadline

The prize was originally announced in 2007 as "a contest to put a robotic rover on the Moon by 2012,"[22] with a $20 million prize to the winner if the landing was achieved by 2012; the prize decreased to $15M until the end of 2014, at which point the contest would conclude. The five-year deadline was optimistic about schedule. Jeff Foust commented in Space Review that as the end of 2012 approached, "no team appeared that close to mounting a reasonable bid to win it."[23] In 2010, the deadline was extended by one year, with the prize to expire at the end of December 2015, and the reduction of the grand prize from $20 million to $15 million changed from originally 2012 to "if a government mission successfully lands on the lunar surface."

On 16 December 2014, XPRIZE announced another extension in the prize deadline from 31 December 2015 to 31 December 2016.[24] In May 2015, the foundation announced another extension of the deadline. The deadline for winning the prize was now December 2017, but contingent on at least one team showing by 31 December 2015 that they have a secured contract for launch. On 9 October 2015, team SpaceIL announced their officially verified launch contract with SpaceX, therefore extending the competition until the end of 2017.[3]

On 16 August 2017, the deadline was extended again, to 31 March 2018.[4] [25] None of the remaining teams were able to claim the Google X-Prize money due to the inability to launch before the final deadline.

Objections to the Heritage Bonus Prizes

Some observers have raised objections to the inclusion of the two "Heritage Bonus Prizes," particularly the Apollo Heritage Bonus Prize, which was to award an additional estimated US$1 million to the first group that successfully delivers images and videos of the landing site of one of the Apollo Program landing sites, such as Tranquility Base, after landing on the lunar surface.[26] Such sites are widely regarded as archaeologically and culturally significant, and some have expressed concern that a team attempting to win this heritage bonus might inadvertently damage or destroy such a site, either during the landing phase of the mission, or by piloting a rover around the site.[27] As a result, some archaeologists went on record calling for the Foundation to cancel the heritage bonus and to ban groups from targeting landing zones within 100km (100miles) of previous sites.[28]

In turn, the Foundation noted that, as part of the competition's educational goals, these bonuses fostered debate about how to respectfully visit previous lunar landing sites, but that it does not see itself as the appropriate adjudicator of such an internationally relevant and interdisciplinary issue. This response left detractors unsatisfied.[29] The Foundation pointed to the historical precedent set by the Apollo 12 mission, which landed nearby the previous Surveyor 3 robotic probe. Pete Conrad and Alan Bean approached and inspected Surveyor 3 and even removed some parts from it to be returned to Earth for study; new scientific results from that heritage visit, on the exposure of manmade objects to conditions in outer space, were still being published in leading papers nearly four decades later.[30] However, as Surveyor 3 and Apollo 12 were both NASA missions, there was no controversy at the time.

In January 2011, NASA's manager for lunar commercial space noted on Twitter that work was underway to provide insight and guidelines on how lunar heritage sites could be protected while still allowing visitations that could yield critical science.[31] And in July 2011, NASA issued Recommendations to Space-Faring Entities: How to Protect and Preserve the Historic and Scientific Value of U.S. Government Lunar Artifacts.[32] These guidelines were developed with the assistance of Beth O'Leary, an anthropology professor at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, and a recognized leader in the emerging field of space archaeology.[33] However, these are only guidelines and recommendations and are not enforceable beyond the possibility of "moral sanctions."[34] An organization called For All Moonkind, Inc. is now working to develop an international treaty that will include enforceable provisions designed to manage access to the Apollo sites and protect and preserve those sites, as well as others on the Moon, as the common heritage of all humankind.[35]

Nevertheless, some of the Apollo astronauts themselves have expressed support for the bonus, with Apollo 11 Moonwalker Buzz Aldrin appearing at the Google Lunar XPRIZE's initial announcement and reading a plaque signed by the majority of his fellow surviving Apollo Astronauts.[36]

Prize not won

On 23 January 2018, the X Prize Foundation announced that "no team would be able to make a launch attempt to reach the Moon by the [31 March 2018] deadline... and the Google Lunar XPRIZE will go unclaimed."[37]

On 11 April 2019, the foundation awarded a US$1 million award to SpaceIL after its Beresheet craft crashed on the Moon.[38]

Competitors and their status as of end of GLXP competition

Registration in the Google Lunar X Prize closed by 31 December 2010. The complete roster of 32 teams was announced in February 2011. By January 2017, there were just five officially registered Google Lunar X Prize teams continuing to pursue the prize objectives, as other teams had left the competition entirely, failed to achieve a competition interim milestone, or merged with other teams:[39] Initially 32 teams were registered, with 16 teams having actively participated in all activities and only 5 teams satisfying the rule requiring a verified launch contract by 31 December 2016.

No.CountryTeam nameCraft nameCraft typeCraft status as of closure of GLXP competitionRef
22IsraelTeam SpaceILBeresheet ("Genesis")landerFinalist team; development;
launch under contract
07USMoon ExpressMX-1ElanderFinalist team; development;
launch under contract		[40] [41]
12InternationalSynergy Moonpiggyback contract ride with TeamIndus's lander[42] landerFinalist team; development;
launch under contract
Teslarover
15JapanHakuto[43] piggyback contract ride on Team Indus's lander[44] landerFinalist team; development;
launch contract cancelled[45] [46] 		[47]
Sorato[48] rover
28IndiaTeamIndusHHK-1landerFinalist team; development;
launch under contract		[49] [50]
ECArover
01USOdyssey MoonMoonOne (M-1)landerdevelopment;
teaming with Team SpaceIL[51] 		[52]
02USAstroboticGriffin[53] [54] landerwithdrawn from competition;[55] [56]
Red Rover[57] rover[58]
03ItalyTeam ItaliaAmalia (Ascensio Machinae Ad Lunam Italica Arte)roverLaunch contract not secured in time[59]
04USNext Giant LeapAcquired by Moon Express[60] [61]
05InternationalFREDNET[62] withdrawn[63]
06RomaniaARCAHAASlunar orbiterwithdrawn[64]
European Lunar Explorerspherical rover
08USSTELLARStellar Eagleroverdevelopment;
teaming with Synergy Moon[65] 		[66]
09USJURBANJOHLTwithdrawn[67]
10MalaysiaIndependence-XSQUALL (Scientific Quest Unmanned Autonomous Lunar Lander)Lander/Hover Probedevelopment;
teaming with Synergy Moon		[68]
11USOmega EnvoyTo be namedlanderdevelopment;
teaming with Synergy Moon		[69]
Saganrover
13InternationalEurolunaROMITLaunch contract not secured in time[70]
14InternationalTeam SELENERoverXwheel+leg robotwithdrawn[71]
16GermanyPart-Time ScientistsALINAlanderLaunch contract not secured in time[72] [73]
Audi lunar quattrorover
17GermanyC-Base Open MoonC-Roveroverwithdrawn[74] [75]
18RussiaSelenokhodwithdrawn[76]
19SpainBarcelona Moon Teamwithdrawn
20USMystical Moonwithdrawn[77]
21US Rocket City Space PioneersAcquired by Moon Express[78] [79]
23HungaryTeam Puliwithdrawn from competition;
[80]
24BrazilSpaceMETAdevelopment;
teaming with Synergy Moon		[81]
25CanadaTeam Plan BPlan BLaunch contract not secured in time[82] [83]
26USPenn State Lunar Lion Team[84] Lunar Lionlander + rocket-hopperwithdrawn[85]
27ChileTeam AngelicvMUnityroverdevelopment;
launch contract with Astrobotic for 2020 launch		[86] [87]
29USTeam PhoeniciaStorming the High Heavenslanderwithdrawn[88]
30USSCSGwithdrawn[89]
31USMicro-SpaceCrusader LL[90] landerwithdrawn[91] [92]
32USQuantum3 (team)Quantum3withdrawn[93]
33USAdvaeroswithdrawn[94]
Shortly after the announcement of the complete roster of teams, an X Prize Foundation official noted that a total of thirty one teams entered a partial registration program by filing a "Letter of Intent" to compete; of these, twenty did indeed register or join other registered teams, while eleven ultimately did not register.[95]

Terrestrial Milestone Prizes

Overview

In November 2013 the X-Prize organization announced that several milestone prizes will be awarded to teams for demonstrating key technologies prior to the actual mission. A total of was awarded throughout 2014 for achieving the following milestones:[96]

Selected teams

In February 2014, a judging panel selected five teams which could compete for several interim prizes based on their proposals to achieve particular goals. The teams and their ultimate awards were:[97]

Team Landing
($1 million)		Mobility
($500,000)		Imaging
($250,000)		Total Prize Awarded
Astroboticawardedawardedawarded$1,750,000[98]
Moon Expressawardednot awardedawarded$1,250,000
TeamIndusawardednot selectednot awarded$1,000,000
Part-Time Scientistsnot selectedawardedawarded$750,000
Hakutonot selectedawardednot selected$500,000
The five selected teams were required to accomplish the milestones outlined in their submissions through testing and mission simulations, in order to be awarded the interim prizes. The teams had until October 2014 to complete the prize requirements. The winners were officially awarded on 26 January 2015 in San Francisco.[24]

Status of teams and developments since the close of the Google Lunar X Prize competition

Teams still in competition at close

Teams were required to have verified launch contracts by the end of 2016 in order to remain in the competition. Although the contest ended without a winner, some of these teams have expressed an intention to launch in the future.

Team(s)Launch date (UTC)Launch vehicleNotes
22 February 2019 On 22 February 2019, SpaceIL and the government-owned Israel Aerospace Industries successfully launched the Beresheet lander on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.[99] [100] The spacecraft entered lunar orbit on 4 April, but its landing attempt on 11 April failed.[101] [102] [103]
SpaceX Falcon 9 Originally intended to be a piggyback on TeamIndus's canceled PSLV flight, Hakuto's M1 mission launched in December 2022. After successfully entering lunar orbit, its landing attempt failed on 25 April 2023.[104]
Moon Express's launch contract was with Rocket Lab.[105] The launch contracts between Moon Express and Rocket Lab were canceled sometime before February 2020.[106]
Interorbital Systems Neptune The Synergy Moon team partnered with Interorbital Systems for their launch vehicle and launch process.
TeamIndus's launch contract was with Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of ISRO.[107] The contract was cancelled in early 2018.[108]

Other teams

Two competitors who were unable to get a verified launch contract by 2016, disqualifying them from the competition, plan to launch their crafts independently.

Team(s)Launch date Launch vehicleNotes
8 January 2024[109] Astrobotic's mission was under contract to NASA,[110] which would have made it ineligible under the original Lunar X Prize rules. The Astrobotic mission launched successfully but suffered a fuel leak which prevented it from reaching lunar orbit.[111]
PTScientists (now PTS) The proposed landing site was in the Taurus-Littrow valley, about two miles from the site of the final Apollo 17 mission.[112] [113] The lander's name is ALINA, and it will carry two small Audi rovers.

See also

External links

Notes and References

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  2. Web site: Deadline For $30 Million Google Lunar XPRIZE Extended To End of 2017. Google Lunar XPRIZE. 18 February 2016. 10 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180710195701/https://lunar.xprize.org/news/deadline-30-million-google-lunar-xprize-extended-end-of-2017. dead.
  3. Web site: Israeli Google Lunar XPRIZE Team Is First to Sign Launch Agreement For Private Mission to the Moon on SpaceX Falcon 9. Google Lunar XPRIZE. 18 February 2016. 4 September 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180904175900/https://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/israeli-google-lunar-xprize-team-first-sign-launch-agreement-private-mission. dead.
  4. News: Deadline for Google Lunar X Prize Moon Race Extended Through March 2018. Wall. Mike. 16 August 2017. space.com. 19 September 2017.
  5. News: Israel's SpaceIL One of Five Finalists in Global Race to the Moon. TheMarker. 2017. Haaretz. 12 September 2017. en.
  6. News: Meet the 5 finalists in the Google XPrize moonshot. Wattles. Jackie. CNNMoney. 12 September 2017.
  7. Web site: XPRIZE Verifies Moon Express Launch Contract, Kicking Off New Space Race. Google Lunar XPRIZE. 18 February 2016. 21 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180121071229/https://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/xprize-verifies-moon-express-launch-contract-kicking-new-space-race. dead.
  8. Web site: SYNERGY MOON Team Member Interorbital Systems to Serve as Launch Provider. Google Lunar XPRIZE. 30 August 2016. 8 September 2016. 2 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160902182800/http://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/xprize-verifies-launch-agreement-team-synergy-moon-third-google-lunar-xprize. dead.
  9. Web site: Ex-Prize: Google's $30 Million Moon Race Ends with No Winner. Space.com. 23 January 2018.
  10. News: Potenza. Alessanda. X Prize relaunches its Moon competition, but without a cash prize. 15 April 2018. 5 April 2018.
  11. Reiss . Spencer . Google Offers $20 Million X Prize to Put Robot on Moon . . 15 . 10 . 13 September 2007 . 16 September 2007 .
  12. Web site: Guidelines. Google Lunar XPRIZE. 18 February 2016. 5 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150905154805/http://lunar.xprize.org/about/guidelines. dead.
  13. Web site: About the Google Lunar XPRIZE. 3 December 2011. 5 August 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120805040630/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/prize-details. dead.
  14. Web site: A New Player in the Return to the Moon. Google Lunar XPRIZE. 13 November 2013. 8 December 2013. 12 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131212005648/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/blog/new-player-return-moon. dead.
  15. News: Meet The 5 Teams That Are Launching to the Moon This Year. 24 January 2017. Google Lunar XPRIZE. en. 24 January 2017. 25 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170125211150/http://lunar.xprize.org/news/blog/meet-5-teams-are-launching-moon-year. dead.
  16. Web site: FAQ. Google Lunar XPRIZE. 18 February 2016. 10 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170810180005/http://lunar.xprize.org/about/faq#toc-when-are-launches-happening-. dead.
  17. News: Google's $20 million race to the moon will end with no winner – and Google is OK with that. Sheetz. Michael. 22 January 2018. CNBC. 2018-01-23.
  18. News: Ex-Prize: Google's $30 Million Moon Race Ends with No Winner. Space.com. 2018-01-23.
  19. Laursen. Lucas. Google Lunar Race Teams Discuss Next Steps, House on the Moon. 12 June 2014. IEEE Spectrum. 5 June 2014.
  20. Web site: Origin of the prize. https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/G-zGwqO5BwY . 2021-12-21 . live. X Prize Foundation. 23 February 2008.
  21. Web site: Is it true that originally the Google Lunar X Prize was going to be the NASA Lunar X Prize (or the ESA or similar)?. X Prize Foundation. 19 February 2011.
  22. News: Koman . Richard . 14 September 2007 . Moon 2.0: Google Funds $30 Million Lunar X Prize . Newsfactor . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20121011065804/http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=03300316K1J9 . 11 October 2012 . dmy-all.
  23. Jeff Foust, "The Google Lunar X PRIZE at five: can it still be won?" The Space Review, 1 October 2012 (accessed 25 July 2013)
  24. Web site: Deadline For $30 Million Google Lunar XPRIZE Extended To End of 2016. 16 December 2014. lunar.xprize.org. 17 December 2014. 30 March 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150330120802/http://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/deadline-30-million-google-lunar-xprize-extended-end-of-2016. dead.
  25. nasaspaceflight.com
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  27. Web site: Billings. Lee . Billings, Lee, "Should the Sites of Lunar Landings Be Protected as Part of our Cultural Inheritance?" . https://web.archive.org/web/20090402112948/http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/preserving_tranquility/ . dead . 2 April 2009 . SEED . 28 October 2008 . 19 February 2011.
  28. http://www.hdtvtotal.com/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-1-pid-1393.html "uncomPRESSed: Google Lunar X PRIZE – William Pomerantz"
  29. Web site: Matson . John . Matson, John, "Can space-faring companies be entrusted with the Apollo program's history?," Scientific American, "60-Second Science," Comments, 9 June 2009 . Scientificamerican.com . 9 June 2009 . 15 December 2010.
  30. Web site: Apollo Relic Reveals its Secrets . NASA . 20 June 2008 . 19 February 2011.
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  32. Web site: Recommendations to Space-Faring Entities: How to Protect and Preserve the Historic and Scientific Value of U.S. Government Lunar Artifacts . NASA . First published 20 July 2011 . 28 October 2011 . 11 December 2017. NASA .
  33. Web site: NASA Sets Guidelines to Preserve Apollo Moon Landing Sites. Space.com. 21 October 2011.
  34. News: A Push for Historic Preservation on the Moon. Kenneth. Chang. The New York Times. 23 January 2018.
  35. Web site: For All Moonkind - Preserving Our First Off World Footsteps. forallmoonkind.org.
  36. Web site: Buzz Aldrin at the Google Lunar X PRIZE Launch . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/35qjYeddq9k . 2021-12-21 . live. X PRIZE Foundation . 22 July 2009 . 19 February 2011.
  37. News: Foust. Jeff . Google Lunar X Prize to end without winner . . 23 January 2018 . 24 January 2018 . The foundation running the Google Lunar X Prize announced 23 Jan. that the $20 million grand prize for a commercial lunar lander will expire at the end of March without a winner. The X Prize Foundation said none of its five finalist teams would be able to launch a mission before the current deadline of 31 March. That deadline has been extended several times in the past, but foundation officials previously said there would be no further extensions of the competition. .
  38. Web site: We now know why Israel's lunar lander crashed into the Moon . Mike Wehner . BGR . 12 April 2019 . 14 April 2019.
  39. Web site: Meet The 5 Teams That Are Launching to the Moon This Year. 24 January 2017. 24 January 2017. 25 January 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170125211150/http://lunar.xprize.org/news/blog/meet-5-teams-are-launching-moon-year. dead.
  40. Opam, Kwame. "Moon Express unveils lunar lander design with planned 2015 launch date", Vox Media, Inc., 9 December 2013
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  42. Web site: SYNERGY MOON. www.synergymoon.com. 2018-05-10.
  43. Web site: Watch The Google Lunar XPRIZE "Moon Shot" Documentary. 29 October 2013. 24 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131224170331/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/teams/white-label-space/blog/announcement-new-team-name-hakuto. dead.
  44. Web site: Team Indus, Japan's Hakuto combine for Moon mission. 22 December 2016. The Times of India. 18 September 2017.
  45. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/science/isro-teamindus-deal-falls-apart-japanese-moon-mission-delayed/articleshow/62502748.cms Isro-TeamIndus deal falls apart, Japanese moon mission delayed
  46. https://inc42.com/buzz/google-lunar-xprize-teamindus-isro/ Google Lunar Xprize: ISRO Calls Off Contract With TeamIndus
  47. Web site: Barton . Andrew . Mission Concept . White Label Space . 1 December 2009 . 15 December 2010.
  48. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/11/08/national/science-health/japanese-team-competing-lunar-probe-contest-delay-launch/#.WmicwZWWwY8 Japanese team competing in lunar probe contest to delay launch
  49. Web site: About Team Indus | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 17 February 2011 . 23 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110823071242/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/indus/about . dead .
  50. News: Indian space start-up's lunar dream gets ISRO support; aims for global prize!. 31 October 2016. Zee News. 31 October 2016.
  51. Web site: SpaceIL and Odyssey Moon Announce Joint Teaming Agreement . Googlelunarxprize.org . 20 November 2012 . 23 November 2012 . 3 December 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131203085046/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/teams/odyssey-moon/blog/spaceil-and-odyssey-moon-announce-joint-teaming-agreement-pursue-30-million . dead .
  52. Web site: Odyssey Moon – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 24 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724203820/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/odyssey-moon/about . dead .
  53. Web site: Two Google Lunar XPRIZE Teams Announce Rideshare Partnership For Mission to the Moon in 2016. xprize.org. Xprize Foundation. 6 March 2015. 23 February 2015. Hakuto [... and fellow competitor] Astrobotic [will] carry a pair of rovers to the Moon. Astrobotic plans to launch its Google Lunar XPRIZE mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., during the second half of 2016. HAKUTO's twin rovers, Moonraker and Tetris, will piggyback on Astrobotic's Griffin lander to reach the lunar surface. Upon touchdown, the rovers will be released simultaneously ... in pursuit of the $20M Google Lunar XPRIZE Grand Prize.. 27 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150227212328/http://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/two-google-lunar-xprize-teams-announce-rideshare-partnership-mission-moon-2016. dead.
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  55. Web site: Astrobotic Pulls Out of Google Lunar X Prize – Parabolic Arc. www.parabolicarc.com. 20 December 2016 .
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  57. News: SpaceX Lands Contract To Fly To Moon . 8 February 2011 . Aviation Week . 8 February 2011 . The landing site, originally targeted for the Sea of Tranquility near where Apollo 11 touched down, is up for grabs, as is the name of the spacecraft, once called Artemis, and the name and destinations of the 1.5-meter tall, 1-meter wide rover. .
  58. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna27463864 Astrobotic reveals Moon mission plans
  59. Web site: Team Italia – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 24 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724203905/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/team-italia/about . dead .
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  61. Web site: Next Giant Leap – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 December 2010 . 7 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110807200659/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/next-giant-leap/about . dead .
  62. Web site: FredNet – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 23 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110823064708/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/frednet/about . dead .
  63. http://wiki.teamfrednet.org/index.php/Portal:Lunar_Lander Team FREDNET Lander Development
  64. Web site: ARCA – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 December 2010 . 6 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110806180050/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/arca/about . dead .
  65. Web site: SYNERGY SPACE EXPLORERS . Google Lunar X Prize . 24 December 2016 . 12 January 2017 . 13 January 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170113133603/http://lunar.xprize.org/teams/synergy-moon/blog/synergy-space-explorers . dead .
  66. Web site: STELLAR – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 24 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724204135/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/stellar/about . dead .
  67. Web site: JURBAN – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 6 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110806030700/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/jurban/about . dead .
  68. Web site: Independence-X Aerospace – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 24 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724204304/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/independence-x/about . dead .
  69. Web site: Omega Envoy – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 8 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110808005016/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/omega-envoy/about . dead .
  70. Web site: Euroluna – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 21 November 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20101121114425/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/euroluna/about . dead .
  71. Web site: SELENE – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 24 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724203645/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/selene/about . dead .
  72. Web site: Part-Time-Scientists – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 8 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110808011229/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/part-time-scientists/about . dead .
  73. Web site: index.
  74. Web site: Team Drops Out of Google Lunar X Prize at Parabolic Arc. Doug. Messier. 19 July 2011. 20 October 2011. 24 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131224210001/http://www.parabolicarc.com/2011/07/19/team-drops-out-of-google-lunar-x-prize/. dead.
  75. Web site: C-Base Open Moon – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 24 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724205040/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/c-base-open-moon/about . dead .
  76. Web site: Selenokhod – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 24 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724204944/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/selenokhod/about . dead .
  77. Web site: Mystical Moon – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 17 February 2011 . 19 December 2010 . 23 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110823071938/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/mystical-moon/about . dead .
  78. Web site: Moon Express acquires Rocket City Space Pioneers in Teaming Agreement with Dynetics for pursuit of the $30 Million Google Lunar X PRIZE . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150206075517/http://www.moonexpress.com/blog.php?id=40 . 6 February 2015 . dmy-all .
  79. Web site: Rocket City Space Pioneers – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 24 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724205615/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/rocket-city-space-pioneers/about . dead .
  80. Web site: Team Puli – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 17 February 2011 . 23 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110823070818/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/team-puli/about . dead .
  81. Web site: SPACEMETA – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 17 February 2011 . 23 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110823071647/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/spacemeta/about . dead .
  82. Web site: Plan B – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 17 February 2011 . 23 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110823070927/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/plan-b/about . dead .
  83. News: Lindell . Rebecca . Rocket enthusiasts shoot for the Moon . https://web.archive.org/web/20110312103335/http://www.vancouversun.com/technology/Rocket+enthusiasts+shoot+moon/4414173/story.html . dead . 12 March 2011 . 10 March 2011 . Vancouver Sun . 10 March 2011 .
  84. Web site: Lunar Lion.
  85. Web site: Penn State Lunar Lion Team – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 17 February 2011 . 23 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110823071754/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/penn-state-lunar-lion-team/about . dead .
  86. News: Astrobiotic Ready to Become Delivery Service to the Moon . Michael . Coli . Spaceflight Insider . 19 March 2018 . 27 July 2018 . 31 July 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180731214643/http://www.spaceflightinsider.com/missions/commercial/astrobotic-ready-become-delivery-service-moon/ . dead .
  87. Web site: Angelicum – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 17 February 2011 . 23 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110823071218/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/angelicum/about . dead .
  88. Web site: Team Phoenicia – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 17 February 2011 . 23 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110823071556/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/team-phoenicia/about . dead .
  89. Web site: Southern California Selene Group (SCSG) – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 6 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110806160356/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/scsg/about . dead .
  90. http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_4494989 Lunar challenge lures maverick
  91. http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/micro-space?page=2 Micro-Space
  92. Web site: Micro-Space – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 7 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110807234332/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/micro-space/about . dead .
  93. Web site: Quantum3 – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 7 August 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110807215935/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/quantum3/about . dead .
  94. Web site: Advaeros – About Us | X PRIZE Foundation . Googlelunarxprize.org . 15 August 2007 . 15 December 2010 . 24 July 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110724204115/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/lunar/teams/advaeros/about . dead .
  95. Web site: The Launch Pad: Well, let's start: How many LOI teams were there?. X PRIZE Foundation. 19 February 2011.
  96. Web site: Regulations – Milestone Prizes. Google Lunar X-Prize. 19 February 2014. 25 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140225054422/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/prize-details/milestone-prizes. dead.
  97. Web site: Google Lunar XPRIZE Selects Five Teams to Compete for $6 Million in Milestone Prizes. googlelunarxprize.org. 19 February 2014. 19 February 2014. 25 February 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140225061939/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/media/press-releases/google-lunar-xprize-selects-five-teams-compete-6-million-milestone-prizes. dead.
  98. Web site: Private Moon Race Heats Up As Five Google Lunar XPRIZE Teams Take Home $5.25 Million For Key Technological Advancements. lunar.xprize.org. 26 January 2015. 26 January 2015. 20 January 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180120235941/https://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/private-moon-race-heats-five-google-lunar-xprize-teams-take-home-525-million-key. dead.
  99. News: Israel Aims to Launch Moon Lander in December. David. Leonard. 11 July 2018. Space.com. 25 July 2018.
  100. News: After SpaceX Launch, Israeli Spacecraft Begins Journey to the Moon. Chang. Kenneth. The New York Times . 21 February 2019. 22 February 2019.
  101. News: Wall . Mike . Israeli Moon Lander Fires Engine in Space for 1st Time . 25 February 2019 . space.com . 25 February 2019.
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  104. Web site: Wattles . Jackie . Commercial lunar lander presumed lost after historic moon landing attempt . CNN . 25 April 2023 . 25 April 2023.
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  106. Moon Express . MoonEx . 1226582161735553025 . There is no upcoming launch with RocketLab. We contracted with RocketLab back in 2015 for a GLXP attempt. We are currently focused on efforts supporting NASA under our Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract. . 9 February 2020 . 26 February 2020.
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  108. Web site: Google Lunar Xprize: ISRO Calls Off Contract With TeamIndus . Inc42. 9 January 2018 . 20 January 2018 . Suprita Anupam.
  109. Web site: Lea . Robert . 2024-01-08 . Private Peregrine lander launches to the moon: What science could it do? . 2024-01-08 . Space.com . en-US.
  110. Astrobotic Awarded $79.5 Million Contract to Deliver 14 NASA Payloads to the Moon. Astrobotic Technology. 31 May 2019. 20 August 2019. 4 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200904004314/https://www.astrobotic.com/2019/5/31/astrobotic-awarded-79-5-million-contract-to-deliver-14-nasa-payloads-to-the-moon. dead.
  111. Web site: Tingley . Brett . 2024-01-19 . As crippled Peregrine moon lander burns up in Earth's atmosphere, Astrobotic 'excited for the next adventure' . 2024-01-20 . Space.com . en.
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  113. Web site: Foust . Jeff . ArianeGroup and PTScientists to study lunar lander mission for ESA . SpaceNews . 25 January 2019 . 22 January 2019 .

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