XPRIZE Verifies Moon Express Launch Contract, Kicking Off New Space Race “Moon Express, Inc. has received official verification today of their launch contract from XPRIZE as part of the $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE, a global competition for privately funded teams to land an unmanned spacecraft on the surface of the moon by December 31, 2017. Moon Express will use a Rocket Lab Electron rocket combined with the company’s “MX-1E” micro-lander […]

Rebooting the Google Lunar XPRIZE with an Increased Prize Purse and Finalists for the Milestone Prizes, SpaceRef Business “Getting a spacecraft to land on the moon is both expensive and difficult. To date only three countries, Russia, the U.S. and most recently, China, have done so, and this through government programs. It’s with this daunting task in mind that teams of students and professionals globally began the challenge in 2007 […]

Israeli space cadets say moon shot is no fantasy, Times of Israel “SpaceIL is a nonprofit foundation, and is relying on donations to get into space, explained Margalit. So far, about $20 million of the $30 million needed to run the project has been raised. On SpaceIL’s Facebook page, visitors are encouraged to make a donation in multiples of “chai” — 18 shekels or dollars. The organization does not plan […]