Our Mission

Our team name, “Selene” stems both from Greek mythology and Selene, the wife of the team's founder. We have assembled a talented and enthusiastic group of Chinese and German engineers and technicians who are intent upon winning the Google Lunar X Prize. Our goal is to land a remote-controlled lunar rover on the Moon which must then travel a minimum of 500 meters over the lunar surface, while at the same time, sending high-definition images and video as well as other data back to Earth.

Another purpose of this project is to promote greater co-operation between China and Germany, and to foster the exchange of ideas, a process well underway for many centuries.

We seek to dispel the myth that China's design and engineering prowess is merely the product of reverse engineering, too. There are many young, motivated engineers in both countries who are eager to demonstrate that they can succeed in this mission while contributing innovative high technology inventions and concepts to the broader community of space science and exploration as well as providing support to the ongoing humanitarian efforts to achieve better living conditions here on Earth.

This mission must be at least 90% privately founded, so we are anxious to find a select number of corporate sponsors who can support us with funding, hardware, and / or manpower. Please feel free to contact our team leader Mr. Bindhammer (email: team@seleneteam.com) at your convenience if you would like to come aboard. We would be sincerely grateful for your time and support.

Biography of Markus Bindhammer, Founder

Markus Bindhammer, founder and head of Team Selene hails from Bavaria, Germany. His father, a grammar school chemistry and biology teacher, sparked his very early interest in science, and as a child, he began his study of launchers and other air vehicles. After junior high school, Markus trained as a heating and ventilator systems technician and worked for a few years in this field. Later, he became a state certified technician and studied advanced mathematics as well. It was during this time that he became very interested in electronics and robots. He wrote many articles for electronic magazines like Elektor, and he also created a few pan-European patented devices which have gone into production. In 2005, he won a science prize sponsored by the German TV broadcast station Pro7 which included a grant of 15,000 euro. He resides in Shanghai, China where he works as the technical director of a company which sells power and garden tools worldwide.

Biography of Shi Xiaojun, Designer

Shi Xiaojun was born in northwest China, and as a child, was keenly interested in technology, nature, and the cosmos. A graduate of Huabei Hydropower University, he majored in machine engineering and has many years experience as an engineer in machine tools and production machinery. He is a recognized expert in the design and construction of complex machinery, and he routinely uses software tools such as Solidworks, Rhino, Photoshop, AutoCAD and Illustrator in his work. Today, he serves as the chief engineer of a well-known machinery company in Shanghai.

Biography of Marlo Graves, International Relations

Marlo Graves, a native of New Jersey, currently resides in Houston where she works in the space industry. A graduate of Princeton University with a Bachelors of Science in Engineering degree in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, she also has a Masters of Science in Space Architecture from the University of Houston. Marlo is currently the liaison for the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics sister section in China. She spent the summer of 2007 in Beijing with the International Space University, and is very excited to be a part of an international Google Lunar X Prize team in China.

Dr. Peng Zong, a professor at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, contributes his expertise to the Team Selene lunar rover and spacecraft

Professor Peng Zong of Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, along with a few of his students, will provide support for our project. They will assist us in the design of the onboard communications subsystems and conduct program analysis for the lunar rover and spacecraft as well as engage in mathematical analysis, complex simulations, and target modeling. We appreciate their willingness to volunteer their valuable time and expertise, and we are looking forward to a productive relationship with them.

Dr. Weiliang He, who is a professor at the School of Aeronautics, Beihang University (BUAA), is contributing his expertise to the design of the SELENA 1 spacecraft

Seen here with a few of their students are Prof. He (third from left) and Prof. Huang (middle), deputy director of the School of Aeronautics, Beihang University.

Biography of Usman Murtaza, Electrical Engineer

Usman Murtaza was born in Pakistan and currently works as a Business Analyst in Toronto. He earned his engineering degree from City College of New York and his MBA from the University of Toronto. He has a keen interest in exploring how business and technology intersect and this attracted him to the Google Lunar X Prize challenge. He will be designing the video transmitter for our Cubesat mission as well as organizing a possible CubeSat launch in the USA.