Partnering To Pursue $30 Million Google Lunar X Prize

Two teams that had been competitors for the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize have joined forces in their pursuit of the big payday. Odyssey Moon, the first team entrant in the Google Lunar X PRIZE, is joining SpaceIL, the most significant international teaming deal in the private $30 million race to the Moon. Together, the alliance formed under team SpaceIL will compete in the competition and, according to many, the most likely team to succeed in this dramatic race to the Moon.

The joint teaming arrangement is based on an innovative commercial partnership model that infuses high impact scientific missions with a commercial enterprise funding element. This dynamic partnership brings together the best characteristics of non-profit activities with commercial and entrepreneurial skill sets.

Odyssey Moon advisor Michael Potter commented, "This team has a tremendously high probability of achieving one of the greatest space challenges of our time, the landing of a private, non-governmental lander on the Moon. This will probably be one of the largest media events of 2015."

SpaceIL chairman Yanki Margalit said, "SpaceIL will keep working to complete our mission to land the first Israeli spaceship on the Moon and inspire the next generation. Now, with our colleagues from Odyssey Moon Space, we are closer to the Moon than ever."

FMI: Odyssey Moon, SpaceIL