National Post

X P R I Z E C O M P E T I T I O N S PA S T A N D P R E S E N T

- Benjamin Bathke is a multimedia journalist and a journalism fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs in Toronto. You can reach him on Twitter: @BenjaminBa­thke

ANSARI XPRIZE ( US$ 10M: 1995- 2004)

Objective Creation of a safe, reliable, reusable, privately financed manned spaceship to demonstrat­e that private space travel is commercial­ly viable. Winning team Mojave Aerospace Ventures team, l ed by aerospace designer Burt Rutan and his company Scaled Composites. Their spaceship was able to get three people to 100 kilometers into the atmosphere. Why it matters Before the competitio­n, space travel was the exclusive domain of government­s. The Ansari XPRIZE triggered the developmen­t of the private spacefligh­t industry, now worth US$ 2 billion. Today, there are multiple private space- flight organizati­ons including Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, which is based on the XPRIZE-winning technology.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN LUNAR LANDER XCHALLENGE ( US$ 2M: 2006- 2009)

Objective Accelerate innovation in space exploratio­n by advancing rocket- powered vehicle technology that can be reused for repeat space travel. Winning team Launch-vehicle developer Masten Space Systems took first place ( US$ 1 million). Armadillo Aerospace, which builds reusable rocket-powered vehicles, won a second- place US$ 1 million purse. Why it matters Launched in partnershi­p with NASA’s Centennial Challenges program, Masten’s team leaders John Carmack and David Masten represent a “new generation of aerospace entreprene­urs able to demonstrat­e reusable vehicles with a surprising degree of precision in flight,” according to XPRIZE.

PROGRESSIV­E INSURANCE AUTOMOTIVE XPRIZE ( US$ 10M: 2007- 2010)

Objective New generation of viable, fuel- efficient vehicles to reduce oil dependence and carbon emissions. Winning team Oliver Kuttner and his team Edison2 won the US$5 million purse in the four- seat vehicle category. Battery-electric vehicle Li-Ion Motors and enclosed batteryele­ctric motorcycle X-Tracer won the US$ 2.25 million alternativ­e classes. Why it matters The efficiency criterion for vehicles was 100 miles per U. S. gallon or the energy equivalent ( MPGe). Edison2’s Very Light Car was the first automobile to manage more than 100 MPG.

GOOGLE LUNAR XPRIZE ( US$ 30M: 2007- 2017)

Objective Usher in a new era of planetary exploratio­n by lowering the cost to explore, while capturing and inspiring the imaginatio­n of a new generation. Status Still underway. The 16 teams must land their spacecraft on the Moon, travel 500 metres on its surface, and return high definition video, images and data back to Earth. Since the launch, NASA has made up to US$ 30 million in contracts available for technology and data that teams can apply for based on certain scientific objectives, according to XPRIZE. Moon Express and SpaceIL, have already signed launch contracts looking to go to the Moon at the end of 2017. Why it matters Stands to invigorate the public’s interest in the Moon.

GLOBAL LEARNING XPRIZE ( US$ 15M: 2014 - 2019)

Objective Develop open-source and scalable software that will enable children in developing countries to teach themselves basic reading, writing and arithmetic. Status Of the nearly 200 competing teams, the five best will each receive a US$ 1 million award. Solutions will be tested in the field in 100 villages over an 18-month period. The US$10 million grand purse will be awarded to the team with a technology solution demonstrat­ing the greatest levels of proficienc­y gains in reading, writing and arithmetic. Why it matters Many experts say that lack of access to quality education is both one of the most pressing and solvable global challenges we face today. UNESCO estimates that the world is facing a shortage of 1.6 million teachers and that there are 250 million illiterate children worldwide.

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