We are Orbital Space and we are on a mission to make space accessible to everyone! We believe all people should have equal opportunity to reach for, explore and study space.
One way to understand Orbital Space is to look at our track record. In the past we launched EIS - a science experiment by high school students to the International Space Station and an educational CubeSat giving students around the world the unique opportunity to test their code on a live satellite in space!
We want to challenge the next generation of innovators to use their imaginations to propose science and exploration concepts for the Moon.
Are you an aspiring scientist, engineer, inventor or innovator? Are you interested in learning about different environments and technologies? Do you like space missions? If so, this competition is for you!
The purpose of this competition is to encourage and empower individuals or teams to develop, design and conduct scientific experiments or technology tests to be carried to the surface of the moon onboard of a commercial Moon lander.
The uniqueness of the Moon’s environment can enable the development of something new which is not possible to be developed on Earth. This competition allows you to learn how real scientists and engineers conduct their experiments and technology tests. Through this competition, you can also explore a topic that interests you, learn about the environment on the Moon and create your own experiment to be conducted on the surface of the Moon!
The experiment or test hardware must fit within a small payload container with maximum external dimensions of 100 x 100 x 100 mm and a total mass of 200 g. The payload will be integrated into a Lunar Lander which will land on the surface of the Moon. The payload could be facing up (sky view), side (horizon view), bottom (surface view). Limited power [in the order of 200 mW] and limited data bandwidth link [2 kbps] will be provided by the Lunar Lander. Thermal management is not provided so the payload should have the ability to manage lunar surface temperatures. For details on lunar lander, please see Astrobotic Lunar Landers User Guide
In a specific time window during the Lunar Lander mission, a command will be sent to activate the payload to run the experiment or test and collect data. Then the data will be sent back to earth at sometime before the conclusion of the Lunar lander mission. Total mission duration is 1 Lunar day (about 14 Earth days)
To avoid biological contamination on the Moon, biological payloads are not allowed
Given we are targeting to launch in Q2 2025, there is a limited time to develop and test the payload. Therefore, the payload hardware must be ready-for-launch (hardware already proven to work under relevant conditions)
The competition is open to anyone from any country age 18 or older participating as an individual or as a team. Younger individuals can be a part of the team as long as at least two members are 18 or older. Individual competitors and teams may originate from any country. No specific qualifications or expertise in the field is required. We encourage non-expert individuals and teams to compete and propose new ideas.
To be eligible to compete, you must comply with all the terms of the challenge as defined in the Challenge-Specific Agreement.
This challenge doesn't have a cash prize. The prize for the lucky winner/winning team is a fully paid payload delivery service to the surface of the Moon.
This Moon mission will be identified as Orbital Space mission, carry the UAE flag, and the winner/winning team name(s) will be included as member(s) of the mission's Science Team. The winner/winning team will be acknowledged in public media for their idea and contribution to this Moon mission.
There are two phases in this competition.
All submissions will be screened for eligibility. Your proposal should have the following points at the minimum:
Judging Criteria
| Section | Description | Overall Weight |
Complexity of the idea and Impact | Level 1: Replicate something known to confirm previous findings (25%) Level 2: Expand on something known with modest improvements (50%) Level 3: Devise and carry out something new and original (100%) | 40 |
| Clarity of the idea | Technical soundness of proposed payload idea (50%) Clear description of technology/instrumentation to be used (25%) | 20 |
| Technical Maturity | The likelihood that proposed payload can be developed and be ready for launch in Q2 2025 | 30 |
| Creativity | Novelty or creativity of proposed idea (50%) Clever use of existing technologies or work-around of existing limitations/constraints (50%) | 10 |
The top 10 ideas will be the winners of Phase 1.
The shortlisted top 10 ideas will be invited to virtually present live in front of a judging panel of experts to select the final winning idea. Judging criteria will be similar to phase 1.
The winner of the pitch session will have their payload on the manifest for a mission to the moon in Q2 2025.
The winner of this competition will maintain IP ownership and must agree to grant Orbital Space a royalty free, non-exclusive, irrevocable, world-wide license in all Intellectual Property demonstrated by the winning idea proposal. See the Challenge-Specific Agreement for complete details.
