SAN FRANCISCO — It's been more than 40 years since the last person set foot on the moon, and the days when superpowers spent lavishly in an effort to beat one another to make the trip are now long past.
But thanks to the Google Lunar XPrize, a new generation of the space race is underway. Eighteen private teams from around the world are vying to be the first to land a craft on the moon, roam at least 500 meters and send images and data back to earth for a grand prize of $20 million
Five of those teams got a major boost at an event at the California Academy of Sciences here on Monday, when the company doled out a total of $5.25 million in "milestone awards." The prizes are given out in recognition of hardware or software achievements in three major areas: landing, mobility and imaging. Read more...
More about Us World, Moon Express, Astrobotic, Space, and Lunar Xprize
