spacetoday.net: Armadillo Aerospace qualifies for Lunar Lander Challenge prize

Posted: Sun, Sep 13, 2009, 10:30 AM ET (1430 GMT)
Armadillo Scorpius flies Level 2 LLC flight (J. Foust)

Armadillo Aerospace successfully flew a Level 2 flight profile for the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, although the Texas team won't know if they won the $1 million first prize until the end of next month. Armadillo flew its "Super Mod" vehicle, named Scorpius, on two three-minute flights between pads 60 meters apart, one of which made into a mock lunar landscape of rocks and craters, at Caddo Mills Municipal Airport northeast of Dallas. The flights took place Saturday after waiting several hours for rain to end. Because of the different format of the competition compared to previous years, Armadillo will have to wait until the end of the competition season at the end of next month to know if they won the prize; they will win the $1 million if no other team makes a Level 2 flight, or if Armadillo's landing accuracy is better than another team that does. Two other teams, Masten Space Systems and Unreasonable Rocket, have announced plans to make Level 1 and Level 2 flights this year. The competition is run by the X PRIZE Foundation with prize money provided by NASA's Centennial Challenges program.