Next year two teams will race rovers on the surface of the moon for $20 million

In what is definitely a first for mankind, two teams competing for the Google Lunar Xprize will conduct a motorized race on the Moon. In late 2016, the teams will race lunar rovers, in a bid to win a grand prize of $20 million.

HAKUTO, the only Japanese team in the competition, has announced a contract with Pittsburg based Astrobiotic to carry both of the company’s rovers to the Moon on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the second half of 2016. Once there, Hakuto’s Tetris and Moonraker rovers, along with Astrobotic’s Andy rover will travel 500 meters and attempt to send high-def images and video from the lunar surface back to Earth.

Google’s Xprize was created to provide motivation to private teams, “to inspire pioneers to do robotic space transport on a budget.”

“We’re going back to the Moon. For good. Why? Our Moon—the ‘eighth continent’—has a land area larger than Brazil and North America put together…and people have only been to 5% of it! There are amazing natural wonders, valuable resources, and unsolved mysteries waiting to be discovered. Unfortunately, getting to the Moon hasn’t been very cost-effective—yet. And that’s where the Google Lunar XPRIZE comes in,” reads the web site

Last month both HAKUTO and Astrobiotic were awarded “Milestone Prizes” by XPirze. HAKUTO won a $500,000 prize for advancements in the Mobility category. Astrobiotic, working in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, won awards for landing, mobility and imaging totalling $1.75 million. The mobility category demands that rovers demonstrate the ability to move 500 meters on the Moon’s surface while withstanding extreme temperatures and high levels of radiation.

Assuming the landing hits its intended target, the three rovers will arrive in the Lacus Mortis region in the northeastern part of the Moon. Imagery suggests that this part of the lunar surface could hold the entrance to a lunar cave or caves. These are thought to be formed by lava tubes and could provide insight into the ancient past of the Earth’s only natural satellite.

Some believe that these caves could provide shelter for long-term human residents.

The new partnership was announced at the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo and was attended by representatives of both companies as well as Google Lunar XPRIZE.

“I am very excited to announce this rideshare contract with Astrobotic. This is the next major step for HAKUTO toward our lunar mission after we won the Mobility Milestone Prize. This contract enables HAKUTO to actually send our rover to the moon, which is important because HAKUTO is only concentrating on rover development. Astrobotic Technology is developing a lander which has capability to open up a new era of lunar transportation services, and I have no doubt that they will be the first team to land on the moon,” said Takeshi Hakamada, HAKUTO team leader and CEO of ispace in a statement.

For it’s part Astrobiotic, which benefits from the partnership by extending the customer base for its lunar delivery service venture agreed.

“Astrobotic is thrilled to welcome HAKUTO aboard our first mission. We envision a ‘NASCAR on the Moon’ scenario, where competing teams land together, and countries can cheer on their team to the finish line. HAKUTO is the first team signed to fulfill our dream of the first race beyond Earth’s orbit,” said John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic Technology Inc.

The deadline for the Google Lunar Xprize is December 31, 2016 with a requirement that at least one team submit a documented scheduled launch date by December 31, 2015. Two teams have now done so.

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