Two of the teams competing in the Google Lunar X Prize competition have agreed to share a ride to the Moon next year. The Japanese team, HAKUTO, announced today that it will use the same rocket as the Indian group Team Indus to get its four-wheeled lunar rover to the Moon's surface. Team Indus announced last month that its spacecraft — a lunar lander and rover combo — is slated to ride on a PSLV rocket, a proven vehicle developed by the Indian Space Research Organization.

"This is a great demonstration of teams coming together."

The ride-share agreement and launch contracts have been officially verified by X Prize, which means HAKUTO can move forward in the competition. "We're proud to verify HAKUTO's launch agreement and are pleased to see two Google Lunar X Prize teams collaborating on this mission to the Moon," Chanda Gonzales-Mowrer, a senior director at Google Lunar X Prize, said in a statement. "The purpose of this prize was, in part, to foster collaboration in the private sector and this is a great demonstration of teams coming together in the next giant leap in space exploration."