Google Lunar X Prize Team To Build Their Own Rocket

 X PRIZE

Romanian team, Arca, competing for the Google Lunar X PRIZE has announced they will be using their own rocket for the project.

Team Arca, competing in the Google Lunar X PRIZE, has announced some very exciting news in the development of their mission. Where most teams are partnering with companies like SpaceX or China, Arca has decided to build their own rocket.

"It is a single stage to orbit vehicle (SSTO). We succeeded to reach a very good mass ratio because of the usage of the composite materials tanks. Of course, for the first flight, we will attempt to put the whole vehicle into orbit (more than 500kg), but the actual payload will be small. The main purpose is to reach orbit as soon as possible. The next flight will have a second and a third stage and will aim for the Moon, before 2015, but of course this is another milestone. We are focusing now on the SSTO configuration. For this we need to run the engine for more than three minutes."

The mass fraction on this vehicle is reported at 29:1, however the he vehicle is not recoverable. It will be propelled by liquid oxygen and T1 kerosene with 20 tons of liftoff thrust.

 

The Google Lunar X PRIZE is igniting a new era of lunar exploration by offering the largest international incentive prize of all time. A total of $30 million in prizes are available to the first privately funded teams to safely land a robot on the surface of the Moon, have that robot travel 500 meters over the lunar surface, and send video, images and data back to the Earth. Teams must be at least 90% privately funded, though commercially reasonable sales to government customers are allowed without limit.



SOURCE  Google Lunar X Prize Blog

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