News from the X PRIZE Foundation

Another Prize in the Making

On July 10, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters announced an FAA grant to the X PRIZE Foundation to research a potential prize for renewable aviation fuels and technologies to reduce pollution from air travel.

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BT to Help Spur Innovation

The X PRIZE Foundation is proud to announce a new partnership with the global communications services provider BT. Over the next three years, UK-based BT Global Services will provide the X PRIZE Foundation with $7 million, allowing us to develop several new prizes with a combined prize purse of more than $300 million. Dr. Peter H. Diamandis, Chairman and CEO of the X PRIZE Foundation, first announced the partnership in a speech to the BT Global Sales Conference in Las Vegas on June 24. You can see the video about our partnership on our YouTube Channel.

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New Space Blog: The Launch Pad

The X PRIZE Foundation has added a new space blog to the website – The Launch Pad. The Launch Pad will combine the Pomerantz Report with a number of new space-enthusiast authors. Topics will include the Google Lunar X PRIZE, the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, the X PRIZE Cup, and general happenings in the world of commercial spaceflight.

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U.S. Cities Interested in Hosting Stage Races

The Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE has issued a Request for Proposals from cities across the United States to host a leg of the stage race. We have received interest from a number of top U.S. cities including Albuquerque, Boston, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, New York, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Pasadena, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and St. Louis. The stage races are scheduled to begin at the end of 2009, and run through the beginning of 2010.
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Kurt the Cyber Guy

Marc Hodosh, the Senior Director of the Archon X PRIZE for Genomics, was interviewed by Kurt the Cyber Guy for Los Angeles news station KTLA. The program aired on June 25, 2008.

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Board Update

Diane Murphy, X PRIZE Foundation Board member, has joined Board Member Elon Musk’s company SpaceX as the new Vice President of Marketing and Communications. Murphy, formerly Executive Vice President of the X PRIZE Foundation, came to SpaceX from Northrop Grumman, where she led communications for their Space Technology Sector.

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Featured Lunar Legacy

Apollo 16 astronaut Charles Duke placed a photo of his family on the surface of the Moon in 1972 – now it’s your turn to put your photo and message on the Moon. Join our Lunar Legacy program and upload a photo today!

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