X-Prize Entry List Set

The time to enter the Google Lunar X-Prize contest has passed. There will hopefully be a stiff competition, however, as 29 teams from 17 nations have entered the race to land a rover on the Moon, drive it 500 meters across the surface, and send data and images back to Earth.

First prize is $20 million, with another $10 million spread over various secondary achievements. Prize money, therefore, probably wouldn't cover the cost of developing the rover and flying the mission for any of the teams. The point of the prize, though, is to encourage the early development of lunar resources by supporting the development of technology, by private groups, that will allow commercial and other private activity on the Moon.

With 29 teams involved, ranging from not-for-profit efforts to teams backed by major corporations, there might be a reasonable chance a team will claim the prize before the December, 2015, deadline.