And then there were five . From an initial 16 squad , five have move ahead into the last stage of the Google Lunar XPRIZE , a competition to set in motion and land a scouter on the Moon by the terminal of 2017 .
Thefinalistsherald from around the world , in Israel , the US , India , and Japan . All of them have launch contracts on various garden rocket , in an attempt to outdo the $ 20 million prize money . The first team ’s rover to journey 500 m ( 1,640 feet ) on the lunar surface will scoop the award , with various othertechnical bonusesavailable .
“ Each of these teams has pushed the bound to demonstrate that you do n’t have to be a government superpower to send out a mission to the Moon , while animate audiences to prosecute the field of science , technology , technology , and mathematics , ” enunciate Chanda Gonzales - Mowrer , aged director of Google Lunar XPRIZE , in astatement .
The competition began in 2007 , and the team that come in had until December 31 , 2016 , to get a launch contract bridge , which 11 teams did not manage – let in German teamPart - Time Scientists , who were seemingly on the cusp of doing so . Now , those with launching contract have until December 31 , 2017 , to actually launch – although they can land on the Moon at a late date , as long as they have launch before then .
XPRIZE also announced there would be an extra $ 1 million Diversity Prize rip among the 16 squad to “ recognize each of their unique approaches and initiatives over the long time , ” said Gonzales - Mowrer .
Part - Time Scientists had hoped to revisit the Apollo 17 landing site with their rover ( illustrated ) . PTScientists
Of the five finalists , only three have launching contracts on tried and tested skyrocket . One of these isSpaceILfrom Israel , which plans to establish on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Eruca vesicaria sativa . Another , Team Indusfrom India , is planning to found on the Indian Space Research Organization ’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle ( PSLV ) . AndHakuto , from Japan , plans to hitch a drive with Team Indus .
The other two have contracts with companies that are yet to establish a arugula – perhaps making them proportional outsider to win the contention . One is American teamMoon Express , which has a multi - mission contract with Rocket Lab USA to launch three missions by 2020 . The final team , an international endeavor calledSynergy Moonrun by Interorbital Systems , hopes to launch on their own Neptune 8 rocket , which would set in motion from the sea .
There ’s tidy sum of cause for excitement , though . It ’s look more and more potential that some of these teams will really establish by the class ’s close . Whether they will be successful in landing on the Moon or not remains to be seen – none have experience in doing so .
But if they do make it , well , we might very well have an old - fashioned Moon race on our hired man before the year is out .
