Entrepreneur Backs Astrobotic Technology, And Welcomes Them To Isle Of Man

British entrepreneur Julian Ranger has given his backing to Astrobotic Technology, one of 22 teams competing to put a robot on the moon and win the Google Lunar X PRIZE. All 22 teams meet October 4th and 5th on the Isle of Man to reveal their progress at United Nations World Space Week.

The Google Lunar X PRIZE is a $30 million international competition to land a robot on the surface of the Moon safely, travel 500 meters over the lunar surface, and send images and data back to the Earth. As the lead investor in Astrobotic, and the only British investor involved in the competition, Julian Ranger says he is keeping the UK firmly on the map for privately funded space travel.

Julian runs iBundle, an innovation hub in Surrey, and feels very strongly about backing technology, innovation and engineering. "This project demonstrates what can be done when great ideas are given the opportunity to flourish," he said. "I feel very strongly that Britain should back exciting projects, good ideas and entrepreneurial spirit, which is why we started iBundle.co.uk. Astrobotic sums up the collaborative working practices that make businesses successful, and we can learn a lot from this mission."

Astrobotic will, as part of the moon landings planned:

• Offer children that win a competition to control the robot for a short time period from Earth.
• Broadcast music from space.
• Offer the opportunity for 'cremains' to be taken up by the robot (for scattering on the Moon).

David Gump, President of Astrobotic, said "Julian's investment has meant the difference between entering this project or admitting defeat. We have a good deal more investment to find, but we are very confident in our mission and our robots, not least thanks to Julian's foresight and backing. We hope and believe we can win the Prize."

FMI: http://astrobotictechnology.com/, www.googlelunarxprize.org/, www.iBundle.co.uk