Google to Sponsor $30 Million in Lunar X Prizes [News]

Fresh on the heels of securing a $1.3 million annual parking permit for their corporate jet (Boeing 767) at NASA’s airfield near Mountain View, CA the search giant now appears ready to offer up the largest X Prize to date ($20 million for the first competitor to land a robotic rover on the Moon that can roam the lunar surface for at least 500 meters and send video, images, and data back to the Earth (i.e. Google HQ). The prize money is tiered with $20 million going to the grand prize and $5 million to second place as well as $5 million in bonus prizes. The bonus prizes will be awarded for roving longer distances (more than 5,000 meters), imaging man made objects such as the old Apollo equipment, discovering ice (water), and surviving the frigid lunar night (more than 340 hours at -274 °F or -170 °C, yikes!). The deadline for completion of the grand prize is December 31, 2012. That is relatively right around the corner compared to NASA’s 2020 goal for returning to the moon!

Read more from BBC News or find out about other X Prizes here.