Thales Alenia Space has been chosen by TeamIndus to provide an integrated S-Band transponder on board TeamIndus' lunar landing spacecraft. The S-Band transponder is part of the system that will transmit video and images from the moon. TeamIndus is one of the five finalists in the Google Lunar XPRIZE® competition.
The Google Lunar XPRIZE is a competition to land a spacecraft on the moon, dispatch a vehicle that travels at least 500 m on the moon's surface and transmit high definition video and images back to earth. The venture must have at least 90 percent of its costs privately funded and launch before the end of 2017. The winner will receive a prize of $20 million; second place receives $5 million.
TeamIndus has signed a commercial launch contract with Antrix Corporation for a PSLV launch vehicle. It previously won a $1 million terrestrial milestone prize recognizing its technical maturity and progress.
Thales Alenia Space is a well-known and lontime player in space communications systems, with customers including space agencies and satellite manufacturers from around the world.
“We are proud of being chosen by TeamIndus to participate in this thrilling lunar adventure, thanks to our comprehensive experience in Spain in communications systems for satellites and interplanetary space probes,” said Eduardo Bellido, CEO of Thales Alenia Space Spain.
Rahul Narayan, Fleet Commander of TeamIndus said, “The TeamIndus spacecraft is designed to deliver 20 kg of payload to the Moon’s surface, and it relies upon robust subsystems for its flight and surface operations. When it came to the transponder we are excited to have Thales Alenia Space as a valued partner for this critical subsystem.”
Ana Pérez, Project Manager at Thales Alenia Space in Spain, added, “It is very exciting to be part of this great challenge of being the first privately-funded team to land on the Moon and transmit videos and images back to Earth.”