Google Lunar XPRIZE

Google's Lunar Xprize is officially over with no team able to successfully achieve the competition's goals by the deadline

Space Systems

After a decade, Google's Lunar XPrize is set to end with no winner

After a decade Google’s Lunar XPrize is set to end with no winner. An announcement from Google recently suggested the March 31st deadline would not be extended and a subsequent update from the XPrize team confirmed that no team will launch in time and the $30 million prize will remain unclaimed

The 2020 "Harvest Moon" expedition will be the first commercial operation to send lunar rocks back to Earth

Space Systems

Moon Express to begin commercially harvesting lunar rocks in 2020

The private race to the moon just kicked up a notch with Moon Express revealing in detail its plan to begin commercially harvesting moon rocks by 2020. The company is set to become the first commercial presence on the moon sending back lunar samples & establishing a permanent lunar outpost.

Israel's SpaceIL plans to use a "hopper" style spacecraft to complete the mission

Space Systems

Lunar XPrize finalists to shoot for the moon in 2017

The Google Lunar XPrize has been almost a decade in the making, but 2017 will be the year that we finally have lift off. The XPrize foundation has today confirmed the five finalist teams that have secured launch contracts and will make the final push for the Moon's surface.

Moon Express has signed an agreement to use its own MX-1E lunar lander with Rocket Lab's Electron rocket for three missions

Space Systems

Second team with verified launch contract kicks off XPRIZE space race

Having previously announced that it had signed a launch contract in pursuit of the Google Lunar XPRIZE, Moon Express has now received official verification of the contract from XPRIZE. It is the second team receive verification, after SpaceIL. The news kicks off a new space race.