In a ceremony this Thursday on Capitol Hill, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will award $1.65 million in prizes to two commercial spaceflight companies, Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace, for completing successful flights in the NASA-funded Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge managed by the X PRIZE Foundation.
Time: Doors open 11:45 am and ceremony begins at noon, Thursday November 5th.
Place: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2325. Open to the public.
Speakers include: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, X PRIZE Foundation CEO Peter Diamandis, and the winning teams.
The NASA-funded Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge (NGLLC) is a $2,000,000 incentive prize program designed to build an industry of American companies capable of routinely and safely flying vertical-takeoff-and-landing rocket vehicles useful both for lunar exploration and for other applications. $350,000 was awarded last year to Armadillo Aerospace, and this year $1,650,000 will be awarded to Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace for successfully completed flights.
