Israeli team makes headway in Google moon challenge

An Israeli team of engineers has made a much sought-after advance in a Google competition to send a rocket to the moon, the internet titan says.

SpaceIL has secured the first “ticket to the moon” in the form of a place on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2017, Google says. The Israeli-made spacecraft will ride in a capsule on the Falcon 9, and then use navigation sensors to guide it to the surface of the moon.

The Israeli team is one of 16 teams from around the world who are trying to win the Google Lunar XPRIZE, which asks entrants to develop a robot that can successfully land on the moon’s surface, travel at least 500 meters and send images back to Earth. The winner will receive a $30 million prize.