Source: Justice Namaste Science, Wired.com, November 17, 2017
GOOGLE CAN’T RESIST a moon shot, but this one is literal: A decade ago, the company announced the Google Lunar X Prize—$20 million for the first private firm to build a robot that can soft-land on the surface of the moon, travel 500 meters, and beam hi-def video back to Earth.
Now, after multiple extensions and a couple of flameouts, five teams are racing toward the March 2018 launch deadline, and the cutest contender might be the MX-1E, an R2-D2–shaped lander designed by space startup Moon Express.
Image Source: Clocking in at 4.4 feet tall, 2.5 feet wide, and 551 pounds, Moon Express’ MX-1E is probably the cutest moon landing contender. / CRISTIANO RINALDI
