A race to the Moon sounds like something that shouldn’t be happening until next century. But it’s actually happening right now – and a new video reveals the teams that could win it.
This video is a promotional trailer for an upcoming series about the Google Lunar XPRIZE, which is seeing 16 privately funded teams attempt to land robots on the Moon and have them travel across the surface, with prize money of $30 million up for grabs.
XPRIZEs are designed to encourage research and development in new and exciting areas, in this case lunar exploration. In the past, XPRIZEs have funded space planes and breakthroughs in medicine, while a newly announced XPRIZE aims to tackle artificial intelligence.
This stylish video is a trailer for a series of nine short films called "Moon Shot," with Executive Producer J. J. Abrams and Director Orlando von Einsiedel at the helm. The documentary will detail the various teams that are attempting to reach the Moon, and how they intend to do so. It includes companies like Israeli-based SpaceIL and California-based Moon Express, both of whom have launch contracts to reach the Moon next year.
The goal of the Lunar XPRIZE is to travel 500 meters (1,640 feet) on the lunar surface, and the first company to do so will receive a prize of $20 million. Second place gets $5 million, and there are various other technical bonuses, such as traveling further.
The series will debut on Google Play on March 15, and on YouTube on March 17. Check out the trailer below.
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