The December 2016 deadline for Google Lunar XPRIZE competitors to reach the moon and traverse its surface is approaching, and with $2.25 million in prize money already in their pockets, two teams have decided to pair up. Pittsburgh’s Astrobotic announced Monday that it will carry Japanese team Hakuto‘s two rovers to the moon, where they can compete for the $20 million grand prize.
The Lunar XPRIZE opened in 2007, when it challenged private firms to be the first non-governmental organization to reach the moon. The competition’s extended deadline now sits at the end of 2016, by which time the winning team needs to reach the moon and traverse its surface.
Astrobotic plans to launch its lander, rover and cargo aboard a SpaceX rocket in late 2016. It has been busy advertising the mission’s cargo space, which is open to anyone willing to pay between $45,000 and $909,000 a pound. Along with Hakuto’s rovers…
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