Texel And Pixel Landers Cause Consternation

The FAA is afraid of armadillo, Armadillo Aerospace's lunar lander competition vehicles that is, not the cute little armored fellows running about the southwest.

Today, Armadillo Aerospace is conducting a flight test for FAA observers. Armadillo wants to enter two vehicles, Texel and Pixel, in this weekend's lunar lander challenge at the Wirefly X Prize Cup in Las Cruces New Mexico.

The problem is the FAA isn't sure that's such a good idea.

The federal agency has already issued test flight permits to Armadillo, but is worried for the safety of the potential crowd that might attend this weekend's competition.

An FAA spokesman told Flight International, "The permit would allow a number of flights but we have to make a decision based on safety. There could be 10,000 people at the X Prize Cup this weekend."

Texel and Pixel are a pair of ungainly looking vehicles. At first glance, they look like they would be right at home next to the time traveling DeLorean in the basement of Dr. Emmett Brown, of Back to the Future fame. I mean, where's the flux capacitor on these things?

For the competition, sponsored by Northrop-Grumman and NASA, entrants may win one of two challenges. For the $350,000 prize,  the vehicle must ascend vertically to 150 feet, remain aloft at least 90 seconds, move laterally 100 feet, then land vertically on a designated spot.

Competitors can win $1 million by following the same profile, except the vehicle must remain aloft for three minutes, then spot land on a simulated rocky lunar surface.

So far, Armadillo Aerospace is the only entrant in the lunar lander competition. That means if the FAA doesn't like what it sees today, there won't be a lunar lander competition this weekend.

FMI: www.armadilloaerospace.com, www.faa.gov