Google now sponsoring a moon landing contest

Google now sponsoring a moon landing contest

Internet search engine company Google has announced that they are now sponsoring a $30 million competition for a moon landing contest.

Their Google Lunar X Prize is open to private industry and non-government entities worldwide.

The first prize is worth USD 20 million and would be given to a group which manages to land a lunar rover on the moon. It would also have to go on a 500 meter trek on the surface of the moon and send back video transmission before December 31, 2012.

The prize would be worth USD 15 million if the mission is delayed but is still achieved before December 31, 2014.

They also announced a price of USD 5 million for the second place winner. Also available are $5 million in bonuses are available for different milestones. These range from finding relics from the U.S. Apollo moon landings, or from Soviet lunar explorations to detecting water ice or keeping the rover alive on the lunar surface overnight.

Experts believe that there are four or five teams in the United States have the technical skills and financial backing to enter the race. Similar number of players can participate from other countries around the world.