Getting to the moon is only the first step. Once both teams are there, they need to remotely operate their rovers and make the half kilometer trip across the moon before taking pictures and claiming the grand prize. So how is the final stage going to go down? John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic Technology says, “We envision a ‘NASCAR on the Moon’ scenario.” That sounds like a race I would watch.
Chinese state media celebrated when the Yutu rover made it to the lunar surface back in December 2013. It was designed for a three-month mission on the moon, but there was a “mechanical abnormality” just a few weeks after the landing that has left the rover unable to move. It only traveled about 100 meters in total before breaking down. Planning for this mission started in 2002, and the XPrize contestants have had only a few years to design their rovers.
The XPrize mission will land in the Lacus Mortis region, toward the northeastern part of the moon. The terrain there is believed to be relatively forgiving and there are some interesting surface anomalies that could be investigated if the rovers can keep rolling past the 500 meter mark. The teams have until December 31st 2016 to complete the challenge, but the $20 million prize isn’t going to be a big payday. The cost of the mission will surely exceed that.
