Will Private Moon Race's First Contract Spur Snowball Effect?

Last month, Israel-based SpaceIL announced it had signed a deal to launch its lander to the moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in the second half of 2017, becoming the first entrant in the Google Lunar X Prize (GLXP) competition to secure a "verified" launch contract. GLXP representatives said they hope other teams follow SpaceIL's lead.