Google Wants to Map the Moon

Posted on September 14, 2007
Filed Under Moon |

Google has teamed up with X Prize Foundation, a Santa Monica nonprofit prize institute and together have offered an ultimate challenge and payout of $30 million to any privately held company that can land a vehicle on the moon and stream back one gigabyte of data (images and video) to Earth! If the challenge does prove successful, it would make history as being the first time a non-government agency launched a lunar vessel out in to space.

The rules Craters of the Moonof the contest state - “This lunar space vehicle must trek 1,312 feet on the surface of the moon and transport images and real time video back to Earth. The images and video should include panoramic views and portraits of its self.”

Google will pay out $20 million to anyone who can successfully complete this incredible mission challenge by the end of 2012. If there is no one successful by that date, the prize money drops to $15 million until the end of 2014 when the contest will end.

There will also be $5 million awarded to the second place team or individual and $5 million will be given as a bonus to any team that goes above and beyond the minimum contest requirements, for a grand total of $30 million in contest cash prize money.

This will be a very interesting contest or story to follow - Will there be any privately held company or an individual that is up to the challenge?

Source: moneycnn.com

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Comments

8 Responses to “Google Wants to Map the Moon”

  1. Nick Prignano on November 4th, 2007 11:14 am

    I wonder if any American companies will take a shot at this. Seems like there are a lot of “national security risks” posed by having privatized space programs in the US. I would assume it would have to be a conjoined effort with NASA if it were to launch from inside the US.

    Anyways, Google Labs has already compiled a Google maps version for the Moon (http://www.google.com/moon/)
    and Mars (http://www.google.com/mars/) - I am sure they are looking to improve on the data.

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  2. Ryder on November 5th, 2007 10:06 am

    I am sure the event would be heavily monitored by a few big time agencies. If it does develop and happen?

    Those are some great pictures on those links you gave, of past moon missions. Some nice close up shots on the surface of the moon.. Thanks for your comment! It made my day.

    :mrgreen:

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  3. Wan Kong Yew on November 14th, 2007 10:28 pm

    $20 million or even $25 million is nowhere near enough to fund a mission to the moon though. The party concerned would need to find some other commercial reason to send robotic spacecraft to the moon and I can’t think of any obvious ones. The commercial value of spacecraft capable of reaching orbit is obvious, the commercial value of building one that will make it to the moon lies where?

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  4. Theme Forum Phpbb on June 17th, 2008 12:47 am

    found your site on del.icio.us today and really liked it.. i bookmarked it and will be back to check it out some more later ..

    [Reply]
  5. Mobile Phone Theme on June 21st, 2008 7:58 pm

    I think google will be journey all around the world

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  6. Daniel on June 30th, 2008 12:36 pm

    I read similar article also named Wants to Map the Moon | Far Out, and it was completely different. Personally, I agree with you more, because this article makes a little bit more sense for me

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  7. Marwan on July 29th, 2008 11:25 pm

    Google was very innovative and creative. Maybe, One day Google want map the sun.

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  8. Referencement Blog on August 4th, 2008 3:55 am

    One more time Google is a genious… Everybody could walk on the moon virtually, maybe soon

    [Reply]

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