SpaceMETA

SpaceMETA[1] is a Brazilian Group founded in 2010 to explore aerospace opportunities motivated by Google Lunar XPrize Competition.

[2] As one of the less than 30 active teams around the world (as of 2012), and selected to participate in a competition that offers US$30 MM for who first lands on the lunar surface and succeed to realize several special milestones (like send picture and movies to the earth, survive some days there, context some ancient sites from old missions, and walk 500 meters).,[3] in its first mission, SpaceMETA decided to participate bringing rupture ideas to the race, considering to use at minimum level conventional and already used old age space technologies and solutions.

SpaceMETA was initially sponsored by Intel Corporation[4] which has the first right refusal for a first round of investment on a success case basis.

First Team ( 2010 ) SpaceMETA first Team was formed by - Sergio Cabra; Cavalcanti ( founder ) - Juliana Laxe - Nelson Marques - Laurent Gil - And several professors from UFRJ ( Federal University of Rio de Janeiro ) and UERJ ( State University of Rio de Janeiro ) After 10 years of Project development and several world roadshow with Google GLXP, and fund raise, SpaceMETA start to build its second team and have moved its first goal to a low orbit goal to deploy an ionic powered engine to make power test before start a moon movement.

As a premise to don't use a comoditie project Falcon 9 from SpaceX, Sergio Cabral Cavalcanti, founder os SpaceMETA has declared that the teams was more interested on an independent innovation once Falcon 9 has Merlin Engine no news differente from Saturn V from Rockectdine engines, despites its fantastic technology project.