LONGUEUIL, Quebec, Oct. 16, 2018 (Moon Express PR) — Moon Express, Inc. has announced the creation of Moon Express Canada to leverage Canadian space science and technology in the exploration of the Moon and its resources. The announcement follows quickly after the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Moon Express on October 3rd, enabling Canadian firms and researchers to offer their expertise and capabilities to Moon Express. Moon Express Founder and CEO Bob Richards made the announcement today at the CSA Fall 2018 Industry Days, a three-day event hosted at its headquarters in Longueuil, Quebec to promote Canadian space capabilities and expertise.
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BREMEN, GERMANY, October 3, 2018 (Moon Express PR) – Moon Express has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) to explore options for collaboration with the CSA and Canada’s space sector on technologies and payloads for missions to the Moon.
Under the agreement, the CSA and Moon Express will explore the possibilities of using Moon Express lunar orbiter and lander systems for potential CSA payloads and will promote possibilities for collaboration between Moon Express and the Canadian space industry and academia. The bilateral MOU was signed today at the International Astronautical Congress in Bremen, Germany, by CSA President Sylvain Laporte and Moon Express Founder and CEO Bob Richards.
CHICAGO, October 1, 2018 (Moon Express PR) – Moon Express has announced the successful closing of a $2.5M bridge round and the opening of a $20M Series B round anchored by a $10M lead investor. Proceeds of the financing will support the build out of the company’s Cape Canaveral facilities as well as spacecraft development for its commercial lunar flight program.
Moon Express Founder and CEO Bob Richards made the announcement during a closing keynote at The World Innovation Network (TWIN) Global Summit in Chicago. “We are at the dawn of an exciting new era of lunar exploration and development,” he stated to the international TWIN Global audience. “We’re excited about the new U.S. space policy to return to the Moon in a sustainable way with commercial partners and we look forward to working with NASA and other space agencies in exploring Earth’s eighth continent.”
The moon rising over Half Moon Bay. (Credit: Douglas Messier)
LOS ANGELES, April 5, 2018 (XPRIZE PR) — Today, XPRIZE announced their plan to continue the Lunar XPRIZE mission, with a re-launch of a new Lunar-focused competition.
Effective today, the Lunar XPRIZE will operate as a non-cash competition. Over the next few months, XPRIZE will define new parameters for companies to compete in the prize.
Lunar rover (Credit: TeamIndus)
It appears highly likely that the decade-old Google Lunar X Prize will end on March 31 without a winner following reports out of India that Team Indus has pulled out of the race. The Ken reports that
The launch contract that TeamIndus signed with Antrix Corporation—the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)—in December 2016, in pursuit of its $30-million Google Lunar XPRIZE goal, has been cancelled. Multiple sources within Isro confirmed the news….
Conservatively speaking, the price tag for the PSLV chartered launch alone is said to be upwards of $20 million; the cost of building and testing the moon rover is several million more. It’s learnt TeamIndus couldn’t pony up funds to pay Antrix beyond the initial signing amount. “Isro has cancelled the contract for a lack of compliances and payment issues,” says a person who is close to these developments. He says, “Rahul [Narayan, co-founder TeamIndus] has spoken to all on the floor recently and informed all of Isro’s decision of pulling out of the mission”. TeamIndus did not respond to questions sent by email. Without denying the news, a spokesperson for the company said, “As a company, we’d not comment on this”.
Lunar rover (Credit: TeamIndus)
by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor
The clock is ticking for the remaining teams in the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize competition.
Barring another extension, they have until March 31 to land a vehicle on moon and travel 500 meters across it to claim the $20 million first prize or $5 million second prize. It’s not clear whether any of them will make the deadline.
Alain Berinstain
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Moon Express PR) — Moon Express announced today that space science and exploration veteran Dr. Alain Berinstain has joined the company as Vice President of Global Development. Dr. Berinstain will oversee the international growth of Moon Express business interests and lead engagements with global space agencies on science and exploration initiatives.
Well known in the international space science community as an interdisciplinary scientist, strategist and communicator, he brings over seventeen years of experience working for the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), including roles as Director, Planetary Exploration and Space Astronomy, and Director, Science & Academic Development. For the last two years, Dr. Berinstain has been Director of Policy for Canada’s Minister of Transport, Hon. Marc Garneau, former president of the Canadian Space Agency and Canada’s first astronaut.
House Subcommittee on Space Hearing Private Sector Lunar Exploration Thursday, September 7, 2017 – 10:00am 2318 Rayburn House Office Building) Hearing Purpose NASA is supporting private sector exploration of the Moon through various programs. The private sector is also investing their own funding in the hopes of serving a future market for transportation, cargo delivery, and surface operations (including in situ resource utilization). Moon Express plans to launch a mission […]
Meet the MX-1E pic.twitter.com/ZNMpJqPNCK
— Bob Richards (@Bob_Richards) July 12, 2017
Moon Express held a press conference in Washington, DC, on Wednesday to unveil a model of a spacecraft it plans to land on the moon by the end of the year.
According to media reports, CEO Bob Richards said the company has raised $45 million from investors to send the MX-1E lander to the lunar surface.
Moon Express’s Naveen Jain is optimistic his company and the Rocket Lab will be ready to fly to the moon by the end of the year n an attempt to win the Google Lunar X Prize. Moon Express is building a lander and hopper in an effort to win the $20 million first prize. Rocket Lab is hoping to launch the maiden flight of its Electron booster as early as […]