New X Prize sets lunar challenge

By Stephen Withers
Friday, 14 September 2007 02:05

Science - Space

The $US30 million Google Lunar X Prize challenges private sector engineers and entrepreneurs to put a robotic rover on the Moon's surface by 2014.

Three goals must be achieved in order to win the $US20 million grand prize: a spacecraft must be soft-landed on the Moon; the rover must travel at least 500m; and certain data must be transmitted back to Earth.

That data is to include high-resolution 360-degree panoramas, self-portraits of the rover, near-real time video taken as the rover travels across the lunar surface, HD video, and a data set loaded prior to launch.

The $US20 million prize holds until December 31, 2012. After that date it reduces to $US15 million until the closing date of December 31, 2014. The conditions do allow for a extension of the competition period.

A $US5 million second prize will be awarded to another team that achieves the competition goals by December 31, 2014. The idea is to encourage continuing activity after the main prize has been won.

The remaining $US5 million is up for grabs by teams that complete tasks beyond the minimum for success. Examples include roving further than 5km, imaging man-made artefacts, and discovering water ice.

Competition rules are subject to a public review process before finalisation.

SpaceX will offer reduced-cost use of its Falcon launch vehicle to Google Lunar X Prize contestants, while the SETI Institute's Allen Telescope Array will provide a no-cost downlink.

"The Google Lunar X Prize calls on entrepreneurs, engineers and visionaries from around the world to return us to the lunar surface and explore this environment for the benefit of all humanity," said Peter Diamandis, chairman and CEO of the X Prize Foundation. "We are confident that teams from around the world will help develop new robotic and virtual presence technology, which will dramatically reduce the cost of space exploration."