Mike Safyan helps take Barcelona to the Moon

Published June 14, 2010

Graduate student Mike Safyan from the International Space University (ISU) has joined CTAE for a summer internship. Mike’s main efforts will be focused on contributing to the Barcelona Moon Team’s entry to the Google Lunar X-Prize (GLXP), an international competition to send a privately-funded rover to the moon. CTAE contributes technical advise for the mission analysis, system engineering, and project management aspects. Barcelona Moon Team is a multidisciplinary joint venture bringing together Spanish entrepreneurial, industrial and academic capabilities. Headquartered in Barcelona, it is the first Spain-based team to enter the GLXP. Through its official participation in the competition, Barcelona Moon Team strives to promote collaboration between the Spanish aerospace industry, academia and the whole of society. The GLXP is an amazing opportunity that poses new challenges and fosters enthusiasm in the growing Catalan and Spanish aerospace industries.

An initial design idea for the Barcelona Moon Team rover

The initiative has been covered by numerous media reports. One of the most recent ones was aired by Antena 3 TV in Spain. A paper on the business and technology opportunities of the Barcelona Moon Team initiative was also presented at the Global Lunar Conference in Beijing.