The number of teams competing for the Google Lunar X Prize stands at 21 following the addition of Barcelona Moon Team, the first Spain-based team to enter the $30 million competition.
Barcelona Moon Team announced its entry April 21, describing itself as “a multidisciplinary joint venture bringing together Spanish entrepreneurial, industrial and academic capabilities.”
The team is composed of 10 companies and individuals, including team leader Galactic Suite Moonrace, Barcelona-based Centre for Aerospace Technology and scientists from the Technical University of Catalonia.
The Google Lunar X Prize intends to award a $20 million grand prize to the first team to land a privately funded spacecraft on the Moon, rove at least 500 meters and transmit video, images and data back to Earth. Second place is worth $5 million. There are also $5 million in bonus prizes available for completing various secondary objectives.
Although current contest rules set a Dec. 31, 2012, deadline for claiming the grand prize, competition organizers are considering extending the deadline by a year.
