Google Lunar X-Prize
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William Pomerantz Senior Director, Space Projects X PRIZE Foundation 11 www.googlelunarxprize.org X PRIZE Foundation Not-for-profit educational foundation Offers incentive prizes to create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of all humanity Ansari X PRIZE for Suborbital Spaceflight $10M prize claimed in 2004 by SpaceShipOne $10M Archon X PRIZE for Genomics Rapid, affordable, complete human genome sequencing $10 M Progressive Automotive X PRIZE Mass producible, desirable cars that get >100 mpg e Future Prizes: Education, Global Development, Life Sciences, Energy & Environment, Exploration 2 www.googlelunarxprize.org What is the Google Lunar X PRIZE? $30,000,000 in cash prizes $20M 1st place $5M 2nd place $5M in Performance Bonuses Open to world-wide competition Privately financed teams must: Land a robot on surface of the Moon Explore the Moon by moving at least 500m (1/3 of a mile) Transmit two “Mooncasts,” packages of high definition video and imagery Bonuses encourage: Roving further along the lunar surface Visiting man-made hardware Surviving a lunar night Diverse teams Finding water ice 3 www.googlelunarxprize.org Google Lunar X PRIZE Global Impact >1,500 inquiries from >80 nations Teams 14 fully registered teams Additional 4 “Letter of Intent” signatories Headquartered in 5 nations : Isle of Man, Italy, Malaysia, Romania, USA Work being performed in more than 30 countries 4 www.googlelunarxprize.org Diverse Teams, Diverse Concepts www.googlelunarxprize.org Preferred Providers SpaceX : 10% Discount on all Falcon LVs Universal Space Networks: Offering 50% discount on communication services (passes) for the spacecraft while in transit to the Moon and for 30 Earth Days of operations on the lunar surface. SETI : Free downlink services through the Allen Telescope Array Space Florida : $2M Bonus Prize if winner launches from Florida AGI: Free seat license for STK (>$150,000 value) 6 www.googlelunarxprize.org Why Are We Doing This? Educate the global public about the benefits of space exploration Inspire and excite the world about science, technology, engineering, and math Incentivize and qualify new engineers and entrepreneurial companies able to design, build, deliver, and operate space hardware Lower the costs of space exploration, opening the space frontier to new ideas and new participants Spin off new technologies which will have dramatic global benefit Distribute compelling content generated by teams 7 www.googlelunarxprize.org Government Missions 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Japan: SELENE O China: Chang'e 1 LEGEND R India: Chandrayaan 1 In Orbit B USA: LRO / LCROSS In Development I USA: LADEE/GRAIL Planned T UK: MoonLITE Concept A China: Chang'e 2 L Russia: Luna-Glob Germany: LEO India: Chandrayaan 2 L Japan: SELENE 2 A Europe: MoonNEXT N China: Chang'e 3 D Japan: SELENE 3 E China : Sample Return R NASA Crewed Missions S China Crewed Missions Russia 8 www.googlelunarxprize.org Are Private Missions Possible? NASA-funded study indicates victory likely within 4 years Expected cost between $30-100M Seeking venture capital, sponsorship, in-kind contributions, wealthy individuals Challenges Fundraising Power Temperature swing Daylight 253˚ F (123˚ C), Shadow -387˚ F (-233˚ C) Communications 2.7 sec time delay Bandwidth limited by power Size limited by cost of launch vehicle 9 www.googlelunarxprize.org Education Online Interactive learning opportunities for educators, students and parents Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education Engaging outside the classroom BotBall robotics competition National Science Teachers Association Universities using prize as teaching tool MIT University of Michigan University of Maryland International Space University University of Stuttgart UK universities Many others… 10 www.googlelunarxprize.org Online Presence 11 www.googlelunarxprize.org Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge $2M in prizes provided by NASA’s Centennial Challenges program Sponsored by Northrop Grumman Corp Meant to stimulate the development of industrial capabilities that will assist in NASA’s return to the Moon. Specifically, demands private teams build rockets similar to a “lunar ferry” capable of hopping between lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon. 12 www.googlelunarxprize.org Prize History Announced May 5, 2006 4 teams register, 1 team flies in 2006 8 teams register, 1 team flies in 2007 9 teams register, 2 teams fly in 2008 Teams devoted more than 60,000 person-hours and more than $6 million Drove maturation of the regulatory process Exceeded the most similar gov’t program in almost every category DC-X: Two years, ~$95 M 13 www.googlelunarxprize.org 14 www.googlelunarxprize.org 15 www.googlelunarxprize.org 16 www.googlelunarxprize.org 17 www.googlelunarxprize.org 18 www.googlelunarxprize.org 19.