It looks like we may have a new kind of space race.

An Israel-based nonprofit competing for the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize now has a ride to the lunar surface and a legitimate chance to become the first private group to land a spacecraft on the moon.

See also: A company just booked a ride to space for the first private moon landing

SpaceIL announced Wednesday that it has a contract to fly to the moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

If SpaceIL or another team competing for the X Prize succeeds, it will effectively open up access to the moon, which was once only accessible for nations.

SpaceIL’s rocket ride is scheduled to blast off in the second half of 2017. If the mission is a success, it will be the first time an Israeli spacecraft has gone to the moon. The nonprofit bought the launch from Spaceflight Industries, which purchased the Falcon 9 that SpaceIL's lander will fly to space aboard.

“It is a great feeling of accomplishment, but we still have a long way to go," Eran Privman, SpaceIL CEO, told Mashable via email. "Although it is a private mission, we feel that the whole nation is behind us, feeling proud."

SpaceIL's possible flight plan. Image: Courtesy of Spaceflight

This is the first time a Google Lunar X Prize team has had its launch contract verified by X Prize itself, though it isn’t the first time a team has announced a contract with a launch provider.

The team Moon Express has also announced a contract for launch, though that team has gone through the verification process, according to Google Lunar X Prize.

Moon Express plans to launch its first of five moonshots aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rockets in 2017.

SpaceIL’s launch contract cost more than $10 million, which the nonprofit fundraised. It was purchased through Spaceflight Industries, Privman said.

The team still has a lot to do before launch in a couple years.

SpaceIL's lander. Image: SpaceIL

“On the fundraising aspect, we still need to raise about $10 million in the next two years,” Privman said. “On the engineering side, we need to continue with the development of all the spacecraft's components, run different tests and bring all the parts to the integration lab (where our spacecraft will be assembled).”

The remaining 15 teams now have until the end of 2016 to verify (and acquire) launch contracts that would have them touching down on the lunar surface before Dec. 31, 2017 in order to be eligible to win the grand prize.

Once on the moon, teams need to show that their robotic crafts can send high-definition videos and photos to Earth and move at least 500 meters.

Oct. 27 UPDATE at 10:40 a.m. ET: This story originally stated that the team Astrobotic also has a contract for launching to the moon, but that is not the case. The team did have a contract to fly to the moon with SpaceX, but they had to put it on hold.