Search Engine Giant Google to offer $30m prize for private Moon landing

Google seems to be getting involved in many projects of late, but this one has to be the most interesting the search engine giant are offering a prize fund of $30m to any private firm who manages to land a robot rover on our Moon. In order to claim the cash which is being run by the X-Prize Foundation, the robot rover that makes a lunar landing will have to perform a series of tasks.

Any firms that wish to have a shot at the Google $30 million prize fund have until 2012 to mount their mission. The first firm who manage to land their rover on the surface of the moon will receive the top prize of $20m, while the second will receive $5m. The final $5 million will be given to the second firm who gets their robot rover to take some pictures and roam across the surface of the Moon.