Indian startup hopes to reach the moon this year

Photo credit: Josef1985.

A grand prize of US$20 million is at stake at Google Lunar Xprize for the team that will successfully land and control a robot on the moon. The robot must be privately developed and funded, and capable of traveling a distance of more than 500 meters (1,640 feet).

No team has yet to win the prize despite the interest that many have shown since the competition was announced in 2007.

An Indian startup, however, has stepped up to make their dreams into a reality, and many believe that this group of innovative entrepreneurs has the potential to win the entire contest.

Who is Team Indus?

Team Indus is recognized as the first and only Indian team in Google Lunar Xprize. They have 12 technical advisers, 11 direct partners, and more than 100 total participants on board. Their supporters are hopeful that they will be the first ever lunar-based representatives of Asia.

Rahul Narayan is the fleet commander and tech lead. The other primary participants of Team Indus are Sheelika Ravishankar, Dilip Chabria, and Nirmal Suraj.

Raising the necessary funds

The process of raising enough capital to launch a robot to the moon is not to be taken lightly. While the winning team will enjoy a substantial cash prize, these funds won’t be available until the team reaches the moon. Participating teams must come up with their own funding to start their projects.

Fortunately, Team Indus won an award in 2015 for completing the concept of their lunar vehicle. They received US$1 million as cash prize along with other awardees.

Moreover, the new rules and guidelines set forth by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) might make it easier for small businesses to raise the necessary capital for their own, similar projects.  Effective as of 2015, the guidelines provide two separate tiers that mandate funding amounts. Tier 1 provides up to US$20 million in securities within a 12-month time frame, while tier 2 provides as much as US$50 million with the same time frame.

A bevy of possible experiments

The Indian startup’s primary goal, as well as that of Google’s Lunar Xprize in general, is to land and operate a robotic vehicle on the moon. But the team is making preparations to carry out other experiments once they finally reaches their destination in outer space.

A total of 25 different experiments have been proposed for the moon-bound space explorer, but only few will be actually carried out during the mission. Team Indus is currently in the process of narrowing down the field, which includes possible research in water recycling, photosynthesis, and even brewing beer on the moon.

The process of controlling and communicating with the team’s space-based vehicle is spearheaded by Tata Communications, a decade-old leader in landline and cellular communications across India. Tata currently controls the vehicle on Earth, but ensuring instantaneous and consistent communication between the Earth and the moon is certainly a unique challenge for the telecommunications company.

Reaching for the moon and beyond

Although Google Lunar Xprize has been in place for a decade, 2017 does mark the final year of the competition. With that in mind, it’s important that the only Indian team in the contest is able to focus on their goals, achieve their performance benchmarks, and claim their space on the lunar surface within their allotted time. After all, a successful landing on the moon could lead to even more initiatives in space exploration and discovery on their behalf.