SpaceX plans to race remote-controlled cars on the Moon

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has an ambitious plan to launch two remote-controlled cars into space so that they can have a race on the surface of the moon. Musk plans to send the mini vehicles to the moon in October 2021 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

This forms part of the newly announced project Moon Mark Mission 2021, which will have students competing to design, build, land, and race two vehicles on the Moon. It will begin in the first half of 2021, and is open to teams of young people all over the world.

High-schoolers around the world will compete in eight weeks of qualifying challenges before six teams of five members go head-to-head to become the final two that race on the Moon. Their adventures will be captured, produced and globally distributed by Moon Mark, a multimedia education company.

The final two teams will complete the racer designs in Houston, Texas, before being loaded onto the lander that will transport them to Kennedy Space Center, and then to the Moon.

Iconic car designer Frank Stephenson has been appointed as the Racer Design Director for Moon Mark Mission 2021. Stephenson is famous for his design work at Ferrari, BMW, McLaren, and more.

Stephenson will offer his world-class expertise to the final two as they enter the stages of the competition to race on the lunar surface, guiding them to functionally design the last stages of the two racers that will vie for the first-ever checkered flag on the Moon.

“This is a project helping to develop the innovators of the future, allowing them to dream big and realise that nothing is impossible,” said Frank Stephenson on the project. “Space is a fascinating place, remaining untapped for budding designers and I’m very much looking forward to sharing some of my knowledge to those involved in this innovative project.”

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