Google Lunar Xprize :The race is on.

FIVE TEAMS ,ONE DREAM & 238,900 MILES.

The battle to be the one to reach the moon first has reached to final five teams , SpaceIL, Moon Express, Synergy Moon, TeamIndus, and HAKUTO have each secured a contract to launch their spacecraft. They are now authorized to move forward in the challenge, kicking off the next exciting phase of the competition.

SPACEIL

TEAM LEADER:
Eran Privman
LOCATION:
Israel

• On October 7, 2015, at a press conference held in Jerusalem, XPRIZE made public that SpaceIL was the first team to receive verification and approval of their launch contract to move forward in the competition.
• At press conference, standing together with the President of Israel, SpaceIL announced that they had secured a “ticket to the moon” on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which is manifested for launch in the second half of 2017. SpaceIL is now one huge step closer to realizing their vision of creating an   “Apollo moment” in Israel, and inspiring a new generation to pursue Science, Engineering, Technology and Math (STEM).

MOON EXPRESS

TEAM LEADER:
Bob Richards
LOCATION:
Silicon Valley, CA, United States

• On December 8, 2015, XPRIZE made public that Moon Express was the second team to receive verification and approval of their launch contract to move forward in the competition.
• Moon Express is contracted with rocket Lab USA, and their lunar mission is scheduled to take place in 2017 using the MX-1E lunar lander on Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket. Moon Express’ near term goal is to provide low-cost missions to the moon for science and commerce, and their long term goal is to unlock lunar resources for the benefit of humanity.

SYNERGY MOON

TEAM LEADER:
Nebojša Stanojević
LOCATION:
International

• Team Synergy Moon Becomes Third Google Lunar XPRIZE Team to Receive Approval for 2017 Lunar Mission.
• Synergy Moon’s team member, Interorbital Systems, will serve as the launch provider, using a NEPTUNE 8 rocket to carry a lunar lander and rover to the surface of the Moon from an open-ocean location off the California coast during the second half of 2017.

TEAMINDUS

TEAM LEADER:
Rahul Narayan
LOCATION:
New Delhi, India

• TeamIndus is the Fourth Google Lunar XPRIZE Team to Receive Approval for 2017 Lunar Mission.
• TeamIndus signed a commercial launch contract with the Indian Space Research Organization, and will be using a polar satellite launch vehicle. The launch is planned for December 28, 2017.

HAKUTO

TEAM LEADER:

Takeshi Hakamada
LOCATION:
Tokyo, Japan

Team HAKUTO is the Fifth Google Lunar XPRIZE Team to Receive Approval for 2017 Lunar Mission.

• Team HAKUTO announced that it has signed a rideshare partnership with the India-based competitor, Team Indus, to carry its 4-wheeled rover to the Moon, and now becomes the fifth verified Google Lunar XPRIZE team launching in 2017.

WHAT IS THE PRIZE?

GRAND PRIZE:$20 Million

SECOND PLACE:$5 Million

BONUS PRIZES:$5 Million

The first team that successfully completes this mission will be awarded the $20 million Grand Prize. The second team to successfully complete the mission will be awarded $5 million. To win either of these prizes, teams must prove that 90% of their mission costs were funded by private sources. Teams now have until the end of 2017 to launch.