National
Google’s lunar competition to end with no winner (Lead)
Bengaluru, Jan 24 (IANS) Google Lunar XPRIZE, a $30 million global competition to develop a spacecraft and explore the Moon, will end with no winner as the five finalist teams, including one from India, failed to raise funds, the organisers said.
“After consultation with our five finalist teams, we have concluded that no team will make a launch attempt by the March 31, 2018 deadline set for the prize,” a statement from the Founder and Executive Chairman of XPRIZE Peter H. Diamandis said on Tuesday.
TeamIndus from India, SpaceIL from Israel, Moon Express from the US, Synergy Moon with participants from many countries and Hakuto from Japan were the finalists.
The competition aimed to challenge and inspire engineers to find low-cost methods of robotic space exploration.
To win the prize, privately-funded teams were asked to land their spacecraft on the surface of the Moon, travel 500 metres and broadcast high definition video and data back to Earth.
“We expected a winner by now but due to the difficulties of fundraising, technical and regulatory challenges, the grand prize of the $30 million will go unclaimed,” the statement said.
Bengaluru-based aerospace start-up TeamIndus in October 2017 had announced that it was scouting for funds and sponsors to build its spacecraft.
As of October, the Indian team had raised only half (Rs 225 crore) of the total mission cost of Rs 450 crore.
“TeamIndus has expressed its inability to the organisers to meet the deadline to complete 500-metre traversal on the Moon,” the start-up said in a statement here.
The state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was to fly the spacecraft of TeamIndus on its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle.
Antrix Corporation, the commercial arm of the ISRO, on Wednesday said it has terminated the agreement to launch TeamIndus’s Moon mission.
“Antrix and TeamIndus are terminating the launch agreement signed in 2016,” Chairman and Managing Director of Antrix Corporation Rakesh Sasibhushan said in a statement.
The US-based organiser XPRIZE was exploring ways of taking the competition ahead, the XPRIZE statement said.
“It may include finding a new title sponsor or continuing the Lunar XPRIZE as a non-cash competition where we will follow and promote the teams,” it added.
Through the course of the competition, the teams along with the firms that own them have raised over $300 million through government contracts and investments, the organisers said.
The competition has also helped in creating some of the first commercial space companies in countries like India, Malaysia, Israel and Hungary, along with creating many jobs, the statement said.
–IANS
bha/him/bg
National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.