Private Firms Preparing for Moon Flights

Sept. 21, 2009 - Lured by millions of dollars in prize money, teams of private firms aren't waiting for NASA to figure out if, when and how to get back to the moon. They're preparing to go themselves.

The first $1 million prize for demonstrating a lunar landing system is due to be awarded at the end of October. The front-runner is Texas-based Armadillo Aerospace, which this month made back-to-back flights of a vehicle named Scorpius.

Two other contenders plan to enter the NASA-backed competition before this year's cutoff on Oct. 31.

Contestants for the top prize are judged by how long their vehicles fly and how accurately they land on pads 60 meters apart, one of which is built on rock-strewn, pitted terrain intended to resemble the lunar surface.

Armadillo won an initial $350,000 prize for a demonstration flight last year, leaving $1.65 million for the competition's main leg and runners-up.

The Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge, with prizes totaling $2 million, is just the opening salvo to a second, richer competition to actually land on the moon.