$2 Million Competition Sponsored By NASA And Northrup Grumman

The X Prize Foundation told ANN Tuesday it has set registration dates and made rules changes for the $2 million Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge -- a competition requiring vehicles to simulate trips between the moon's surface and lunar orbit.

Although a final date and time have yet to be announced, the competition will take place sometime in October 2007 during the Wirefly X Prize Cup.

NASA, which signed a Space Act Agreement with X Prize before the first year's competition for the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge in 2006, will once again fund the prizes through its Centennial Challenges program.

Early bird registration for the 2007 competition lasts until February 28. Regular registration ends March 31, and the final day for late registration is April 30.

The biggest change in the rules will permit each team to repair its spacecraft mid-mission, as long as all tools and supplies are included on the vehicle.

"Last year, teams had to fly the entire mission essentially without any repairs, but we recognize that even in actual spaceflight there is enormous value in planning for and solving for potential problems. When you are running a mission that cannot fail, preparing for mishaps is critical," said Tom Vander Ark, president of X PRIZE. "Being able to make adjustments and repairs under pressure that allow the mission to continue is now an important part of the challenge."

The Competition is divided into two levels. Level 1 requires a rocket to take off from a designated launch area, ascend to 150 feet altitude, hover for 90 seconds, land precisely on a landing pad roughly 100 yards away, then repeat the flight in reverse. Both flights -- along with all of the necessary preparation for each -- must take place within a two-and-a-half-hour period.

The more difficult course, Level 2, requires the rocket to hover for twice as long before landing precisely on a simulated lunar surface, packed with craters and boulders to mimic actual lunar terrain. The hover times are calculated so that the Level 2 mission closely simulates the power needed to perform the real lunar mission.

All teams must be 90 percent privately funded, have the proper permits and be able to operate safely near the large crowds expected at the Wirefly X Prize Cup, which is the only annual event where the entire family can see the next generation of spaceships up close and in the sky.

NASA's Centennial Challenges program promotes technical innovation through prize competitions. Similarly, X Prize claims its mission is to foster radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity using a competition-based philanthropy model.

Plans to return to the moon during the next decade are driving NASA's interest in the lunar challenge.

In 2004, the inaugural Ansari X Prize proved that offering a prize is an effective, efficient and economical model for accelerating breakthroughs in science and technology. The prize inspired 26 teams from seven nations to compete in building the first privately-funded spacecraft, spending a combined $100 million-plus on critical research and development in an effort to win the prize.

FMI: www.xprize.org, www.northrupgrumman.com, www.nasa.gov