LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwire - Nov 20, 2012) - SpaceIL and Odyssey Moon Ltd., two teams competing in the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE, announced today a joint teaming deal to pursue the competition purse. 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."
About Odyssey Moon
OM Space/Odyssey Moon Ltd. is one of the first commercial deep space enterprises and the first entrant into the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition. Its teaming agreement with SpaceIL will continue the goal of winning the Google Lunar X PRIZE. Additionally, Odyssey Moon Ltd. is developing sustainable commercial transportation systems and services to deliver payloads and instruments to space in support of science, exploration and commerce. Odyssey Moon plans to meet near-term and long-term global market needs for low cost, reliable and frequent space and lunar access currently unaddressed by large government space programs. By creating alternative commercial delivery systems that provide rapid mission schedules and standardized systems, Odyssey Moon can provide value-added opportunities for government, academic and commercial customers to conduct space research or technology demonstrations. For more information, go to http://www.facebook.com/pages/OM-Space-Odyssey-Moon/112547898820555?
About SpaceIL
SpaceIL is a non-profit organization established by a multidisciplinary team of Israeli and global space enthusiasts and professionals to compete with privately-funded space teams in the Google Lunar X PRIZE. It strives to stimulate the young to take an interest in space exploration, propelling all to new frontiers where science and technology are sought-after occupational fields that captivate the imagination of Israelis and young people around the world. Since announcing its entry into the competition, SpaceIL has received the enthusiastic support of the Israel Space Agency, Israel aerospace industries, Elbit, Refael, The Weitzman Institute, Tel-Aviv University, The Technion, the Ramon Foundation and many more. SpaceIL is aiming to send the smallest and cheapest spaceship to ever land on the Moon, and by that open new opportunities for space exploration in the future. For more information, go to http://www.facebook.com/SpaceIL
About the Google Lunar X PRIZE
The $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE is an unprecedented competition to challenge and inspire engineers and entrepreneurs from around the world to develop low-cost methods of robotic space exploration. To win the Google Lunar X PRIZE, a privately-funded team must successfully place a robot on the Moon's surface that explores at least 500 meters and transmits high definition video and images back to Earth. The first team to do so will claim a $20 million Grand Prize, while the second team will earn a $5 million Prize. Teams are also eligible to win a $1 million award for stimulating diversity in the field of space exploration and as much as $4 million in bonus prizes for accomplishing additional technical tasks such as moving ten times as far, surviving the frigid lunar night or visiting the site of a previous lunar mission. For more information, go to www.googlelunarxprize.org.