Google Lunar X Prize
{{short description|Inducement prize space competition}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Infobox award
| name = Google Lunar X Prize
| current_awards =
| image = GoogleLunarXPRIZE Logo.png
| imagesize =
| alt = Google Lunar X Prize logo
| caption =
| 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
| location =
| reward = US$20 million for the winner,
US$5 million for second place,
US$4 million in technical bonuses,
US$1 million diversity award
| year =
| year2 =
| holder =
| website = [http://lunar.xprize.org/ lunar.xprize.org]
}}
{{Private spaceflight}}
File:Back to the Moon for Good (EN trailer).webm
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.{{Cite web|title = Overview|url = http://lunar.xprize.org/about/overview|website = Google Lunar XPRIZE|access-date = 18 February 2016|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303201424/http://lunar.xprize.org/about/overview|archive-date = 3 March 2016|df = dmy-all}}
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.{{Cite web|title = Deadline For $30 Million Google Lunar XPRIZE Extended To End of 2017|url = http://lunar.xprize.org/news/deadline-30-million-google-lunar-xprize-extended-end-of-2017|website = Google Lunar XPRIZE|access-date = 18 February 2016|archive-date = 10 July 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180710195701/https://lunar.xprize.org/news/deadline-30-million-google-lunar-xprize-extended-end-of-2017|url-status = dead}} Two teams secured such a launch contract, and the deadline was extended.{{Cite web|title = Israeli Google Lunar XPRIZE Team Is First to Sign Launch Agreement For Private Mission to the Moon on SpaceX Falcon 9|url = http://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/israeli-google-lunar-xprize-team-first-sign-launch-agreement-private-mission|website = Google Lunar XPRIZE|access-date = 18 February 2016|archive-date = 4 September 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180904175900/https://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/israeli-google-lunar-xprize-team-first-sign-launch-agreement-private-mission|url-status = dead}} In August 2017, the deadline was extended again, to 31 March 2018.{{cite news|url=https://www.space.com/37813-google-lunar-x-prize-deadline-extended-march-2018.html|title=Deadline for Google Lunar X Prize Moon Race Extended Through March 2018|last=Wall|first=Mike|date=16 August 2017|work=space.com|access-date=19 September 2017}}
Entering 2018, five teams remained in the competition: SpaceIL,{{Cite news|url=http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/business/1.767535|title=Israel's SpaceIL One of Five Finalists in Global Race to the Moon|last=TheMarker|date=2017|work=Haaretz|access-date=12 September 2017|language=en}} Moon Express, Synergy Moon, TeamIndus, and Team Hakuto,{{Cite news|url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/01/24/technology/google-lunar-xprize-competitors/index.html|title=Meet the 5 finalists in the Google XPrize moonshot|last=Wattles|first=Jackie|work=CNNMoney|access-date=12 September 2017}} having secured verified launch contracts with Spaceflight Industries, Rocket Lab, Interorbital Systems, and ISRO (jointly for the last two teams).{{Cite web|title = XPRIZE Verifies Moon Express Launch Contract, Kicking Off New Space Race|url = http://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/xprize-verifies-moon-express-launch-contract-kicking-new-space-race|website = Google Lunar XPRIZE|access-date = 18 February 2016|archive-date = 21 January 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180121071229/https://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/xprize-verifies-moon-express-launch-contract-kicking-new-space-race|url-status = dead}}{{cite web|url=http://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/xprize-verifies-launch-agreement-team-synergy-moon-third-google-lunar-xprize|title=SYNERGY MOON Team Member Interorbital Systems to Serve as Launch Provider|publisher=Google Lunar XPRIZE|date=30 August 2016|access-date=8 September 2016|archive-date=2 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902182800/http://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/xprize-verifies-launch-agreement-team-synergy-moon-third-google-lunar-xprize|url-status=dead}}
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."{{Cite web|url=https://www.space.com/39467-google-lunar-xprize-moon-race-ends.html|title = Ex-Prize: Google's $30 Million Moon Race Ends with No Winner|website = Space.com|date = 23 January 2018}} On 5 April 2018, the X Prize Foundation announced that the Lunar XPRIZE would continue as a non-cash competition.{{cite news|last1=Potenza|first1=Alessanda|title=X Prize relaunches its Moon competition, but without a cash prize|url=https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/5/17201902/lunar-xprize-relaunch-google-private-moon-missions|access-date=15 April 2018|date=5 April 2018}}
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.
{{cite magazine
| last = Reiss | first = Spencer
| title = Google Offers $20 Million X Prize to Put Robot on Moon
| magazine = Wired
| volume=15 | issue=10
| date = 13 September 2007
| url = https://www.wired.com/science/space/magazine/15-10/ff_moon
| access-date = 16 September 2007
}} 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.{{Cite web|title = Guidelines|url = http://lunar.xprize.org/about/guidelines|website = Google Lunar XPRIZE|access-date = 18 February 2016|archive-date = 5 September 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150905154805/http://lunar.xprize.org/about/guidelines|url-status = dead}} 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.{{cite web|title=About the Google Lunar XPRIZE|url=http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/prize-details|access-date=3 December 2011|archive-date=5 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805040630/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/prize-details|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/blog/new-player-return-moon|title=A New Player in the Return to the Moon|publisher=Google Lunar XPRIZE|date=13 November 2013|access-date=8 December 2013|archive-date=12 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212005648/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/blog/new-player-return-moon|url-status=dead}}
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. Two teams secured such a launch contract, and the deadline was extended.
XPRIZE announced 5 finalists on 24 January 2017.{{Cite news|url=http://lunar.xprize.org/news/blog/meet-5-teams-are-launching-moon-year|title=Meet The 5 Teams That Are Launching to the Moon This Year|date=24 January 2017|newspaper=Google Lunar XPRIZE|language=en|access-date=24 January 2017|archive-date=25 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125211150/http://lunar.xprize.org/news/blog/meet-5-teams-are-launching-moon-year|url-status=dead}} 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). All other teams had until the end of 2016 to secure a verified launch contract, but failed to meet this deadline.{{Cite web|title = FAQ|url = http://lunar.xprize.org/about/faq#toc-when-are-launches-happening-|website = Google Lunar XPRIZE|access-date = 18 February 2016|archive-date = 10 August 2017|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170810180005/http://lunar.xprize.org/about/faq#toc-when-are-launches-happening-|url-status = dead}}
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,{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/22/google-will-not-extend-lunar-xprize-deadline.html|title=Google's $20 million race to the moon will end with no winner – and Google is OK with that|last=Sheetz|first=Michael|date=22 January 2018|work=CNBC|access-date=2018-01-23}} and the prize went unclaimed.{{Cite news|url=https://www.space.com/39467-google-lunar-xprize-moon-race-ends.html|title=Ex-Prize: Google's $30 Million Moon Race Ends with No Winner|work=Space.com|access-date=2018-01-23}}
Overview
Peter Diamandis, the project founder, wrote on the official web page in 2007: {{cquote|It has been many decades since we explored the Moon from the lunar surface, and it could be another 6–8 years before any government returns. Even then, it will be at a large expense, and probably with little public involvement.{{cite web |url=http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/ |title=A Word From the Founders of X Prize & Google |access-date=16 September 2007 |archive-date=16 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070916133051/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/ |url-status=dead }}}}
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
File:Carnegie Mellon University Google Lunar X-Prize Moon Rover.jpg lunar rover]]
The Google Lunar XPRIZE was announced in 2007.{{cite magazine |last1 = Laursen|first1 = Lucas|title = Google Lunar Race Teams Discuss Next Steps, House on the Moon|url = https://spectrum.ieee.org/google-lunar-x-prize-summit|access-date = 12 June 2014|magazine = IEEE Spectrum|date = 5 June 2014}} 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.{{cite web|title=Origin of the prize|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-zGwqO5BwY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/G-zGwqO5BwY |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|publisher=X Prize Foundation|access-date=23 February 2008}}{{cbignore}}
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.{{cite web|title=Is it true that originally the Google Lunar X Prize was going to be the NASA Lunar X Prize (or the ESA or similar)?|url=http://thelaunchpad.xprize.org/2011/02/is-it-true-that-originally-google-lunar.html|publisher=X Prize Foundation|access-date=19 February 2011}}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
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.{{when|date=June 2014}}
=Extensions of the deadline=
The prize was originally announced in 2007 as "a contest to put a robotic rover on the Moon by 2012,"{{cite news |last=Koman |first=Richard |date=14 September 2007 |title=Moon 2.0: Google Funds $30 Million Lunar X Prize |publisher=Newsfactor |url=http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=03300316K1J9 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011065804/http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=03300316K1J9 |archive-date=11 October 2012 |df=dmy-all}} 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."Jeff Foust, [http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2164/1 "The Google Lunar X PRIZE at five: can it still be won?]" The Space Review, 1 October 2012 (accessed 25 July 2013) 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.{{cite web|url=http://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/deadline-30-million-google-lunar-xprize-extended-end-of-2016|title=Deadline For $30 Million Google Lunar XPRIZE Extended To End of 2016|date=16 December 2014|publisher=lunar.xprize.org|access-date=17 December 2014|archive-date=30 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330120802/http://lunar.xprize.org/press-release/deadline-30-million-google-lunar-xprize-extended-end-of-2016|url-status=dead}} 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.
On 16 August 2017, the deadline was extended again, to 31 March 2018.
nasaspaceflight.com 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-walsh1-2009jun01,0,5840745.story|title=Space archaeology|first1=Jill|last1=Thomas|first2=Justin St P.|last2=Walsh|date=1 June 2009|via=LA Times}} 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.{{cite web|last=Billings|first=Lee |url=http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/preserving_tranquility/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090402112948/http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/preserving_tranquility/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2 April 2009 |title=Billings, Lee, "Should the Sites of Lunar Landings Be Protected as Part of our Cultural Inheritance?" |publisher=SEED |date=28 October 2008 |access-date=19 February 2011}} 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 {{convert|100|km|sp=us}} of previous sites.{{usurped|1=[https://archive.today/20130125154854/http://www.hdtvtotal.com/module-pagesetter-viewpub-tid-1-pid-1393.html "uncomPRESSed: Google Lunar X PRIZE – William Pomerantz"]}} Andreas -horn- Hornig, HDTVTotal.com, 1 August 2010
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.{{cite web|last=Matson |first=John |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/blog/60-second-science/post.cfm?id=can-space-faring-companies-be-entru-2009-06-09 |title=Matson, John, "Can space-faring companies be entrusted with the Apollo program's history?," Scientific American, "60-Second Science," Comments, 9 June 2009 |publisher=Scientificamerican.com |date=9 June 2009 |access-date=15 December 2010}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2008/20jun_apollorelic/ |title=Apollo Relic Reveals its Secrets |publisher=NASA |date=20 June 2008 |access-date=19 February 2011}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/rmkelso/status/28216037832925184 |title=Twitter / @Rob Kelso – Great meeting yesterday at ... |publisher=NASA |date=20 January 2011 |access-date=19 February 2011}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/617743main_NASA-USG_LUNAR_HISTORIC_SITES_RevA-508.pdf |title=Recommendations to Space-Faring Entities: How to Protect and Preserve the Historic and Scientific Value of U.S. Government Lunar Artifacts |author=NASA |orig-year=First published 20 July 2011 |date=28 October 2011 |access-date=11 December 2017|author-link=NASA }} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.space.com/13346-nasa-guidelines-protect-apollo-moon-landing-sites.html|title=NASA Sets Guidelines to Preserve Apollo Moon Landing Sites|website=Space.com|date=21 October 2011}} However, these are only guidelines and recommendations and are not enforceable beyond the possibility of "moral sanctions."{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/science/space/a-push-for-historic-preservation-on-the-moon.html|title=A Push for Historic Preservation on the Moon|first=Kenneth|last=Chang|newspaper=The New York Times|date=23 January 2018}} 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.{{cite web|url=http://forallmoonkind.org/|title=For All Moonkind - Preserving Our First Off World Footsteps|website=forallmoonkind.org}}
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.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35qjYeddq9k |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/35qjYeddq9k |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=Buzz Aldrin at the Google Lunar X PRIZE Launch |publisher=X PRIZE Foundation |date=22 July 2009 |access-date=19 February 2011}}{{cbignore}}
=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 {{USD|30 million}} Google Lunar XPRIZE will go unclaimed."
{{cite news |last=Foust|first=Jeff |url=http://spacenews.com/google-lunar-x-prize-to-end-without-winner/ |title=Google Lunar X Prize to end without winner |work=SpaceNews |date=23 January 2018 |access-date=24 January 2018 |quote=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. }}
On 11 April 2019, the foundation awarded a US$1 million award to SpaceIL after its Beresheet craft crashed on the Moon.{{cite web| url=https://bgr.com/2019/04/12/moon-lander-crash-spaceil-israel-beresheet/ |author=Mike Wehner |title=We now know why Israel's lunar lander crashed into the Moon |publisher=BGR |date=12 April 2019 |access-date=14 April 2019}}
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:{{cite web|url=http://lunar.xprize.org/news/blog/meet-5-teams-are-launching-moon-year|title=Meet The 5 Teams That Are Launching to the Moon This Year|date=24 January 2017|access-date=24 January 2017|archive-date=25 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170125211150/http://lunar.xprize.org/news/blog/meet-5-teams-are-launching-moon-year|url-status=dead}}
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.{{citation needed|date=January 2018}}
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.{{cite web|title=The Launch Pad: Well, let's start: How many LOI teams were there?|publisher=X PRIZE Foundation|url=http://thelaunchpad.xprize.org/2011/02/well-let-start-how-many-lois-were-there.html|access-date=19 February 2011}}{{Dead link|date=May 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
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 {{USD|6 million}} was awarded throughout 2014 for achieving the following milestones:{{cite web|url=http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/prize-details/milestone-prizes|title=Regulations – Milestone Prizes|publisher=Google Lunar X-Prize|access-date=19 February 2014|archive-date=25 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225054422/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/prize-details/milestone-prizes|url-status=dead}}
- $1 million (for up to 3 teams) for the Lander System Milestone Prize to demonstrate hardware and software that enables a soft-landing on the Moon.
- $500,000 (for up to 4 teams) for the Mobility Subsystem Milestone Prize to demonstrate a mobility system that allows the craft to move 500 meters after landing.
- $250,000 (for up to 4 teams) for the Imaging Subsystem Milestone Prize for producing "Mooncasts" consisting of high-quality images and video on the lunar surface.
=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:{{cite web|url=http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/media/press-releases/google-lunar-xprize-selects-five-teams-compete-6-million-milestone-prizes|title=Google Lunar XPRIZE Selects Five Teams to Compete for $6 Million in Milestone Prizes|publisher=googlelunarxprize.org|date=19 February 2014|access-date=19 February 2014|archive-date=25 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140225061939/http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/media/press-releases/google-lunar-xprize-selects-five-teams-compete-6-million-milestone-prizes|url-status=dead}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |
| Team
! Landing ! Mobility ! Imaging ! Total Prize Awarded |
|---|
| style="text-align: left;" | Astrobotic
| style="background-color: #ccffcc;" | awarded | style="background-color: #ccffcc;" | awarded | style="background-color: #ccffcc;" | awarded |
| style="text-align: left;" | Moon Express
| style="background-color: #ccffcc;" | awarded | style="background-color: #ffcccc;" | not awarded | style="background-color: #ccffcc;" | awarded |
| style="text-align: left;" | TeamIndus
| style="background-color: #ccffcc;" | awarded | style="background-color: #eeeeee;" | not selected | style="background-color: #ffcccc;" | not awarded |
| style="text-align: left;" | Part-Time Scientists
| style="background-color: #eeeeee;" | not selected | style="background-color: #ccffcc;" | awarded | style="background-color: #ccffcc;" | awarded |
| style="text-align: left;" | Hakuto
| style="background-color: #eeeeee;" | not selected | style="background-color: #ccffcc;" | awarded | style="background-color: #eeeeee;" | not selected |
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.
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.
=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.
See also
{{commons category}}
- Ansari X Prize
- Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) - a NASA partnership program which includes several Google Lunar X Prize contestants
- Lunar Lander Challenge
- NewSpace
- List of space technology awards
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{wikinews|$20 million prize offered in lunar rover contest}}
- [http://lunar.xprize.org/ Google Lunar X Prize] homepage
- [https://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=86D7DAE50906C571 Google Lunar X Prize Video Playlist on YouTube]
- [http://www.CentennialChallenges.nasa.gov NASA's Centennial Challenges competitive prizes program] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170112060005/http://centennialchallenges.nasa.gov/ |date=12 January 2017 }}
- [https://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/02/lunar-x-prize-teams/ WIRED Science about GLXP]
{{Google Lunar X Prize}}
{{Challenges by the X PRIZE Foundation}}
{{Google LLC}}
{{Moon spacecraft}}
{{Space tourism}}
{{Active inducement prize contests}}