Google Shoots for the Moon With New Contest
Google said Thursday that it would award a $20 million prize to the first group able to safely land a robotic rover on the moon and transfer back a gigabyte of video and data successfully to Earth.
The Mountain View, Calif. search company partnered with the people behind the X Prize, which is the group that offered $10 million to build the first private, manned spacecraft to make it successfully into space.
Unlike that contest, putting a probe on the moon may not be as easy, or even cheap. It could very well be that the cost of even getting the probe on the lunar service could match or even exceed the prize. However, the possibility of licensing the technology out to others could prove enticing for some.
Either way, Google is pressing forward, calling the prize an opportunity to advance the science of space exploration. "[It] could lead to important developments in robotic space exploration, a whole host of new space-age materials, precision landing control technology, and who knows what else," senior vice president of engineering Alan Eustace said.
A total of $30 million could be handed out by the end of the contest. If a winner is selected by 2012, they will receive $20 million, and a up to a $5 million bonus if they exceed the minimum requirements. The second place team will receive $5 million, but still need to land their probe on the moon to collect.
Landing on the moon is not enough, either. In addition, the probe needs to move at least 1,312 feet across the lunar surface, and return video and data back to Earth.
If no winner can be selected by 2012, the top prize drops to $15 million until 2014 when the contest ends.
"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," X Prize CEO Dr. Peter Diamonds said in a statement.
More on the contest can be found on the its Web site.