‘X Prizes’ of up to $30 million are up for grabs for the first private company to put a robotic rover on to the moon (Reuters, Ars Technica, NY Times, and many others). In order to receive the $20 million first prize of this Google-funded competition, the robot must be capable of achieving a number of tasks upon its arrival, including roaming at least 500 metres and transmitting data back to Earth, by 2013 (website, press release). There is also a $5 million second Prize and $5 million in bonus prizes. You can even try and get your photo sent to the moon and beamed back as part of the competition (Space.com).
Contestants are already stepping forward. One, Carnegie Mellon scientist Red Whittaker, said “It’s inevitable that someone will find a way to win it. Regardless of who takes home the cash, this achievement will enrich us all.” According to Reuters US launch services firm Space Exploration Technologies is offering to fly contestants’ rovers on its rockets at cost – about $7 million. “I’m a huge believer in us becoming a space-faring civilization,” said company founder Elon Musk. This seems a little like cheating to me.
The competition is being run under the auspices of the X Prize, previously responsible for the $10 million Ansari X Prize for suborbital spaceflight that was won in 2004 by SpaceShipOne. There are also bonus prizes on offer for wandering longer distances, discovering water and imaging man made artefacts. The last would perhaps finally put paid to conspiracy theorist claims that the moon landings were faked by film studios – while $30 million might get you to the moon it wouldn’t get you a movie of it these days (1995’s Apollo 13 cost $62 million).
In other Moon news, the Japanese yesterday launched their first ever lunar probe, the Selenological and Engineering Explorer (Nature). Nicknamed Kaguya, after an ancient folk tale, the probe is about four years behind schedule and cost rather more than the X Prize, although there is some confusion about the exact amount – $479 million according to Reuters and Koyodo News and $279 million according to us and AP.
Image: Earth about five degrees above lunar horizon / NASA