spacetoday.net: Two Google Lunar X Prize teams to partner

Posted: Wed, Feb 25, 2015, 7:02 AM ET (1202 GMT)
CMU Andy lunar rover (CMU)

Two teams competing in the Google Lunar X Prize competition announced a partnership Monday, with one team's lander carrying rovers built by another team. Under the agreement, Astrobotic will carry rovers built by Team Hakuto, among with Astrobotic's own rover. The three rovers will, after landing on Astrobotic's spacecraft, race 500 meters across the lunar terrain to meet one of the requirements of the prize. The teams will share any prize money they win based on which team wins the prize. Astrobotic said their lander has room to accommodate additional teams' landers as well. The Google Lunar X Prize offers a $20-million grand prize and $5-million second prize to the teams that privately develop spacecraft to land on the Moon, travel 500 meters, and return video and other data. The competition deadline is the end of 2016.