NASA Awards Contract to Team FREDNET, Google Lunar X PRIZE Contender

Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data Valued at Up to $10.01M

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Oct 21, 2010, 08:38 ET

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Team FREDNET (http://teamfrednet.org), the leader in open-source space exploration, officially announced that it has been awarded a NASA Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data (ILDD) contract at the maximum government purchase value of $10.01 million. As a recipient of this ILDD contract, Team FREDNET will offer technical data relating to its robotic Google Lunar X PRIZE landing mission, which in-turn will influence the development of future NASA human and robotic lander vehicles and exploration systems.

Informing Team FREDNET of its receipt of this award from a substantial pool of applicants, NASA's Exploration Integration Director Dr. John Olson stated, "As the source selection official, this is the fun part! I'd like to say congratulations again and thank you very much for your team's participation in this ILDD procurement. I think this activity is going to be fairly catalytic, and it's a historic step in the right direction. We really appreciate your submittal."

The X PRIZE Foundation started with the brilliant vision of "Revolution through Competition." Team FREDNET took the next logical step to employ "Revolution through Open Collaboration" and utilizes volunteer efforts around the world to increase its ability to achieve profitable, privately funded, beyond-government sponsored space commercialization. The NASA Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data contracts now lay the groundwork for future business leaders to seize opportunities in space exploration as commercial and civil sectors work together.

"Our 700+ global volunteer Team FREDNET members are (beyond) thrilled to be selected by NASA for the Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data award," stated Team FREDNET Leader and CEO, Fred Bourgeois. "This is a significant milestone that proves the viability of our distinguishing collaborative thought leadership in our goal to become the first open-source organization to place an intelligent rover on the surface of the Moon. Team FREDNET is enthusiastic about the challenge of winning the Google Lunar X PRIZE mission, as well as supplying catalyzing demonstration data to NASA."

Congratulating Fred Bourgeois, Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of X PRIZE Foundation stated, "We are very proud to have [Team FREDNET] as one of the Google Lunar X PRIZE teams that made this cut and wish you, your team, sponsors and investors the very best of luck in the future selections. Most importantly, we wish you luck in getting to the Moon and claiming our (Google's) prize money!"

Recently officially designated as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Team FREDNET is establishing a world-class Mission Review Board, developing corporate partnerships, engaging educational outreach programs, and receiving awards in support of its mission to the moon.

About the NASA Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data Program

The NASA Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data (ILDD) contracts provide for issuance of delivery orders that will specify data associated with system testing and integration, launch, in-space maneuvers, braking burns, lunar landing and other enhanced capabilities. Knowledge acquired from this data will be applied to the development of lander systems necessary to execute human and robotic missions to the moon, near-Earth asteroids or other solar system destinations. They will contribute to NASA's efforts to enable affordable and sustainable space exploration. For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov.

About Google Lunar X PRIZE

The $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE is an unprecedented international competition to challenge and inspire engineers and entrepreneurs from around the world to develop low-cost methods of robotic space exploration. To win the Google Lunar X PRIZE, a privately-funded team must successfully place a robot on the Moon's surface that explores at least 500 meters (1/3 of a mile) and transmits high definition video and images back to Earth. The first team to do so will claim a $20 million Grand Prize, while the second team will earn a $5 million Prize. Teams are also eligible to win a $1 million award for stimulating diversity in the field of space exploration and as much as $4 million in bonus prizes for accomplishing additional technical tasks such as moving ten times as far, surviving the frigid lunar night, or visiting the site of a previous lunar mission. To date, more than 20 teams from a dozen countries around the world have registered to compete for the prize. The Google Lunar X PRIZE is available to be claimed until the end of the year 2015. For more information about the Google Lunar X PRIZE, visit www.googlelunarxprize.org.

About Team FREDNET

Team FREDNET (TF) was founded in 2007 with the vision of applying collaborative open source strategies to facilitate interplanetary exploration. Team FREDNET is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit corporation with U.S. headquarters in Huntsville, Alabama and satellite offices in Silicon Valley and Mojave, CA. Team FREDNET consists of more than 700 volunteers from 63 countries on six continents plus working relationships with faculty and students from major research universities around the world. Through its Google Lunar X PRIZE mission, Team FREDNET establishes an Open Space Society, designed to provide ongoing incentives, education, and funding for individuals and organizations seeking opportunities in this final frontier. For more information, visit http://www.teamfrednet.org/.

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CONTACT: Larissa Scors Anderson, Team FREDNET PR, +1-858-342-8794, [email protected]

SOURCE Team FREDNET