Omega Envoy, the Florida team competing in the Google Lunar X PRIZE, and its parent company, Earthrise Space Inc., are proud to welcome the Florida Space Institute as a new partner. FSI will provide critical test and spacecraft integration equipment for the team’s use. This will include the use of a clean room, as well as vacuum and thermal chambers.
“We at the Florida Space Institute support the goals of the Google Lunar X-Prize and are proud to be helping Earthrise Space accomplish its ambitions,” said Florida Space Institute Director Dr. Alan Stern.
The equipment, already installed at ESI’s facility in Research Park near the University of Central Florida, will be used to test hardware for the company’s GLXP mission to get to the moon. The 80 square foot class 100k clean room will be used for spacecraft assembly. The cylindrical 2ft x 2ft vacuum chamber will be used to outgas spacecraft components and to test the full scale flight rover. The thermal chamber, capable of producing temperatures between -300oF and +600oF, will be used to ensure that spacecraft components can withstand the extreme temperatures found in outer space.
“We are excited to welcome the Florida Space Institute as our latest partner in the Omega Envoy project,” said Joseph Palaia, Chief Operating Officer for ESI. “The equipment they have provided will be put to direct use by our student team members as they build and test hardware for our GLXP mission. We also look forward to exploring additional areas for collaboration with FSI to pursue our very synergistic corporate objectives.”
The Florida Space Institute, located next to the UCF in Research Park, is one of Florida’s premier technical education centers, and a growing leader in space research in Florida. Located near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, FIT is perfectly situated to channel highly-trained professionals and cutting-edge technology into the classroom.
Earthrise Space, Inc. is a Florida-based non-profit corporation dedicated to developing space technology in collaboration with industry and academic institutions. ESI’s Omega Envoy Project is creating a key set of lunar spacecraft infrastructure, which will fulfill the requirements of the Google Lunar X PRIZE and provide a platform for the delivery of commercial payloads to the lunar surface. All ESI efforts involve significant numbers of students and young professionals through paid internships, providing them with hands on experience building real spacecraft, and preparing them for future employment in the entrepreneurial space industry.
For more information, visit https://lunar.xprize.org/teams/omega-envoy.