Two Google XPRIZE teams join forces to land on the Moon
For the sixteen private teams racing to land a lunar rover on the moon in 2017 achieving the goal is more important than the politics.
Key takeaways
- Two teams competing for the Google Lunar XPRIZE have decided to join forces and have signed a ride share partnership agreement to get their respective lunar rovers onto the same rocket to the moon in 2017.
- Google is offering a $20 million to the first team to pull it off, $5 million to the second team, and $5 million more to be awarded for a unique scientific achievement, such as visiting an Apollo site.
- The American team Moon Express will fly on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket, and the international Team Synergy Moon has secured a ride on the Neptune 8 rocket from Interorbital Systems.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2017) 'Two Google XPRIZE teams join forces to land on the Moon', 311 Institute, 1 January. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/two-google-xprize-teams-join-forces-to-land-on-the-moon/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
Two teams competing for the Google Lunar XPRIZE have decided to join forces and have signed a ride share partnership agreement to get their respective lunar rovers onto the same rocket to the moon in 2017.
Team Indus of India and Team Hakuto of Japan will share a ride to the moon on the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket, developed and launched by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO).
"We're proud to verify Hakuto's launch agreement and are pleased to see two Google Lunar XPRIZE teams collaborating on this mission to the moon," said Chanda Gonzales-Mowrer, a senior director at Google Lunar XPRIZE, "the purpose of this prize was, in part, to foster collaboration in the private sector and this is a great demonstration of teams coming together in the next giant leap in space exploration."
The Lunar XPRIZE is a global competition that pits private organisations against each other to become the first privateers to land on the moon, get their craft to travel 500 meters (1,640 feet), and transmit high definition video and images back to Earth before December 31, 2017. Google is offering a $20 million to the first team to pull it off, $5 million to the second team, and $5 million more to be awarded for a unique scientific achievement, such as visiting an Apollo site.
"The Google Lunar XPRIZE has always pushed us beyond our limits" said Takeshi Hakamada, the team leader of Hakuto, "we will continue to challenge ourselves next year and choose an optimal path to reach the moon."
They're facing stiff competition. Israeli Team SpaceIL has already booked its flight on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The American team Moon Express will fly on a Rocket Lab Electron rocket, and the international Team Synergy Moon has secured a ride on the Neptune 8 rocket from Interorbital Systems. It remains to be seen who will achieve liftoff first.
Getting a ticket to the moon has proven just as difficult as building a lunar rover for many teams - particularly because the cost of a ticket to ride is at least $10 million. German Team Part Time Scientists , who teamed up with Audi recently, have also announced they've also secured a rocket, but it has not yet been verified by the XPRIZE committee. Team Indus and Hakuto made that part of the challenge a little easier by booking a rocket flight together.
May the best rover win.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
For the sixteen private teams racing to land a lunar rover on the moon in 2017 achieving the goal is more important than the politics.
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 15-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder and Futurist in Chief of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity program, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
As the former Global Head of Cloud, National Security, and Enterprise Sales for companies including Atos, Dell-EMC, and IBM, Matthew has a proven track record of building multi-billion dollar business units and turning failing divisions into market leaders. His ability to identify, analyse, and communicate the implications of hundreds of emerging technologies and trends is unparalleled, and his insights are trusted by many of the world’s most respected organisations, including ABB, Accenture, Adidas, AON, ARM, BCG, Centrica, Citi, Coca-Cola, Dentons, Deloitte, Dow Jones, EY, Google, KPMG, Lego, Legal & General, LinkedIn, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Qualcomm, RWE, Samsung, Siemens AG and Siemens Energy, T-Mobile, UBS, VISA, Walmart, Workday, Worldpay and many others.
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Sources and further reading
- Google Lunar XPRIZE lunar.xprize.org
- Team indus lunar.xprize.org
- Hakuto lunar.xprize.org
- Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle en.wikipedia.org
- Indian Space Research Organization isro.gov.in
- Team spaceil lunar.xprize.org
- Falcon 9 en.wikipedia.org
- Moon express lunar.xprize.org
- Rocket Lab Electron rocket en.wikipedia.org
- Team Synergy Moon lunar.xprize.org
- Interorbital Systems en.wikipedia.org
- Interorbital Systems interorbital.com
- Team Part Time Scientists lunar.xprize.org
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 1 January 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). Two Google XPRIZE teams join forces to land on the Moon. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/two-google-xprize-teams-join-forces-to-land-on-the-moon/
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