Past Competing Teams Support A Non-Cash Lunar Prize Competition While the XPRIZE Foundation Seeks A Replacement Cash Sponsor

XPRIZE has announced a plan to continue the Lunar XPRIZE mission, with a re-launch of a new Lunar-focused competition.

For now, 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. XPRIZE is seeking a new Title Sponsor for the Lunar XPRIZE competition, taking over for the support provided by Google during the past decade.

“We are extraordinarily grateful to Google for funding the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE between September 2007 and March 31st, 2018. While that competition is now over, there are at least five teams with launch contracts that hope to land on the Lunar surface in the next two years,” said Peter H. Diamandis, M.D. (pictured), XPRIZE founder and executive chairman. “Because of this tremendous progress, and near-term potential, XPRIZE is now looking for our next visionary Title Sponsor who wants to put their logo on these teams and on the lunar surface.”

“Over the last decade the Google Lunar XPRIZE teams raised over $300 million through corporate sponsorships, government contracts and venture capital,” said Chanda Gonzales-Mowrer, senior director of prizes at XPRIZE. “These space entrepreneurs are developing long-term business models around lunar transportation, and we cannot give up on them now. I am confident that one of these companies will land on the Moon in the near future and am excited for the next chapter of this new space race.”

XPRIZE has heard from many of the major Google Lunar XPRIZE teams who have expressed their support and desire for the competition to proceed with or without a monetary prize purse:

• “We applaud XPRIZE’s decision to continue the Lunar XPRIZE, with or without a title sponsor,” said Bob Richards, founder & CEO of Moon Express. “While we plan to win this Moon race and are committed to carrying the Lunar XPRIZE logo, the real opportunity is in opening the lunar frontier and the multibillion dollar industry that follows.”
• “The previous Google Lunar XPRIZE competition showed the world how the concept of a race was necessary to advance the private space industry to a new level,” said Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of ispace, the management company for HAKUTO. “It raised public interest in space and led to activations from companies not traditionally involved in space. We believe a new competition would again elevate our industry to an even higher level, so we eagerly welcome a new Lunar XPRIZE.”
• “The Google Lunar XPRIZE served as an excellent early catalyst to get new people, partners and money involved,” said Rahul Narayan, CEO and founder of TeamIndus. “With the renewed interest in beyond Earth-orbit exploration by multiple large government space agencies, a new Lunar XPRIZE will be a perfectly timed platform with the chances of multiple successful launches being much higher than before.”

The new Lunar XPRIZE Title Sponsor would be responsible for putting up one or more contingent purses for the winners. The Title Sponsor would have the benefit of having their name and branding incorporated into the competition, and in success, on the surface of the Moon.

(Source: XPRIZE news release)

FMI: xprize.org/lunarxprize