Team Indus invites students to be part of historic moon mission2 min read
Space technology startup Team Indus, the only Indian entry in the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition, is working on an audacious attempt to land a rover on the moon. In tandem with their mission, the startup launched a competition of their own – Lab2Moon – which gives students a chance to create an independent project that will fly to the moon.
The startup’s entry in Google Lunar XPRIZE is building a privately funded spacecraft capable of soft landing on the Moon by 2017. The Lab2Moon competition gives the chance for an independent project to go on-board their spacecraft. The competition is open for students in the age group 14-25 and a team can have a maximum of three members. The rules state that the independent project should weigh less than 250 grams and fit the size of a 330 ml soda. It should also be able to connect with the computer on- board. Speaking at the launch of the event, a Team Indus representative said, “We want innovative ideas to come through. 14-year olds think without being affected by years of studying and sometimes surprise us with really innovative ideas.”
Interested participants have to log on to the Lab2Moon website and upload a 2-minute video explaining why they should fly to the moon. Shortlisted entries will have five months to build a prototype and present it to a jury of five international space personalities at Bengaluru in January 2016. The winning project will be on-board the aircraft Team Indus is building for the competition and fly to the moon in 2017. Team Indus won $1million as a milestone prize which made them one of the top three teams competing with other teams worldwide.
Google Lunar XPRIZE was created in 2007. A $30 million prize purse will be awarded to teams who are able to land a privately funded rover on the moon, travel 500 meters, and transmit back high definition video and images. Team Indus’ mission will also be the first opportunity for a non-government spacecraft to fly to the moon since 1976.