Israeli company hopes to win $30 million Google prize.
By Raif Karerat
The first private mission to the moon has been announced, with plans to launch within a mere two years, in an effort to win Google’s Lunar XPRIZE and the $30 million that goes with it.
Israeli non-profit SpaceIL has become the first of the competition hopefuls to actually book a place on a launch to get its unmanned rover on its way to a private soft landing on the Moon, reported Reuters.
At a press conference in Jerusalem, the non-profit organization said it had signed up with Spaceflight Industries, which recently bought a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to facilitate the ridesharing launches of small satellites.
“We are proud to officially confirm receipt and verification of SpaceIL’s launch contract, positioning them as the first and only Google Lunar XPRIZE team to demonstrate this important achievement, thus far,” said Bob Weiss, vice chairman and president of XPRIZE.
If SpaceIL gets to the moon before its XPRIZE rivals, it will not only be the first private organization to stage a lunar landing, but and the first Israeli mission as well.
However, the mission would only be considered a success if SpaceIL’s craft manages to explore the surface for at least 500 meters and send high-res images and video back to Earth before the deadline of December 31, 2017.
“Last year we made significant strides toward landing on the moon, both in terms of project financing and in terms of the engineering design and now, we are thrilled to finally secure our launch agreement,” said SpaceIL chief executive Eran Privman. “This takes us one huge step closer to realize our vision of recreating an ‘Apollo effect’ in Israel: to inspire a new generation to pursue Science, Engineering, Technology, and Math (STEM).”