Google Lunar X PRIZE: 'Official Private Race To the Moon Is On'
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Peter Diamandis, chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation, Sept. 13, 2007. Photo by X PRIZE Foundation
The final roster of 29 teams, in the unprecedented competition known as the Google Lunar X PRIZE, was released Thursday.
Participants-- nonprofits, universities and billion-dollar businesses--represent 17 nations on four continents. Twelve groups come from the U.S., including Mystical Moon, a "'mystery team' about which little can be revealed," and Penn State Lunar Lions, a mix of students, faculty and engineers from Pennsylvania State University.
Other contestants include those from Russia, India, Brazil, Germany, China and Israel.
California-based X PRIZE Foundation, with partner Google, announced the contest in September 2007. The goal is to encourage the development of affordable methods of robotic space exploration, the foundation said.
“The official private race to the Moon is on...Teams have purchased launch vehicles, they are well into their design process, and we have even seen NASA recognize the value of this competition by purchasing data from several competitors," said Peter Diamandis, chairman of the X PRIZE Foundation, in a statement.
To win, a team must land a robot on the moon that travels "at least 500 meters (1/3 of a mile) and transmits high definition video and images back to Earth." The first successful team earns $20 million and the runner-up earns $5 million. Remaining money is awarded to teams accomplishing other feats.
