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X-Prize Lunar Lander Competition a Go

Are you game?

If you have a team that wants to compete in Lunar Lander Challenge at X Prize Cup 2006, you are invited to share or zealously guard the facts about your team here.

oh, goody, another space blog

Nice to have The Space Review story linked at Space Transport News and archived at HobbySpace ISDC 2006.

Also fun to show up on Transterrestrial Musings — the ongoing discussion there, and the email from X Prize officials, have inspired me to set up this place.

I’ll get to work on it soon. Promise.

Space prize confidential

The Space Review, May 15, 2006

NASA unveiled its biggest and best space prize ever ten days ago, at the National Space Society’s biggest citizen space event ever, ISDC 2006 in Los Angeles. NASA Deputy Administrator Shana Dale announced the space agency’s contribution of $2 million in prize money to the Lunar Lander Analog Challenge. The competition will be managed by the X Prize Foundation and first staged at X Prize Cup 2006 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The X Prize press release handed out after the announcement spoke of a richer pot: “X Prize Foundation and NASA offer $2.5 million Lunar Lander Challenge.”

The P.T. Barnum of space, X Prize founder Peter Diamandis, upped the ante even more, saying that the X Prize Cup will have over $3 million in prizes, dozens of rocket-powered flights, spaceships you can see and touch before and after flight—and then declared team registration for the Lunar Lander Challenge “officially open.”

If all you knew about the X Prize was that a cute little homebuilt spaceship won $10 million by flying to space without any government money, you might get the impression that NASA will soon award millions in cash prizes to low-budget teams that could beat the space agency back to the Moon. That impression is not entirely correct, but it’s not entirely wrong, either.

Lunar Lander Challenge News

Lunar Lander Challenge Announced at ISDC ^ NASA Watch

Lunar Lander Challenge ready to go
Space Transport News

NASA, X Prize Foundation Shoot For the Moon
By Leonard David
Ad Astra

Lunar lander is NASA’s biggest ‘challenge’
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Lunar lander contest cleared for liftoff – The New Space Race MSNBC.com

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CNET

NASA Approves $2.5M Lunar Lander Challenge
so cal TECH

$2.5 million Lunar Lander Challenge
Technology News Daily

NASA Announces Lunar Lander Analog Competition Agreement
NASA news

Sponsorships for Lunar Lander Challenge Entry
Masten Space Systems blog

“We might actually have three flying vehicles at the ‘Cup this year, but that is a lot of work still ahead of us…”
Armadillo Aerospace News May 8, 2006

Attempted hover, New engine, Centennial challenge
Armadillo Aerospace news March 1, 2006

X Prize Foundation Sets Draft Rules for Lunar Lander …
Space.com

X PRIZE Foundation and NASA offer $2.5 million Lunar Lander Challenge
X Prize Foundation News

First draft Lunar Lander Challenge rules released for public comment until March 1.
X Prize Foundation News

NASA’s Centennial Challenges Collaborates With Foundation
NASA News October 11, 2005