Slightly below a yr after Google ponied up the cash for the Lunar X Prize, there is a group set to aim a launch and declare the $20M reward. The Aeronautics and Cosmonautics Romanian Affiliation (ARCA) has scheduled up a launch of a ninety two-pound rover referred to as the European Lunar Lander inside the subsequent three months, with the plan being to drift a balloon over the ocean to a peak of eleven miles, at which level a STABILO rocket will carry the payload to area. To win the prize, the ELL has to land, journey 500 ft on the floor of the moon, and ship video, pictures, and knowledge again to Earth. That is fairly a tall order — we’ll be watching this one intently, since even when ARCA succeeds, there’s nonetheless a number of $5M prizes on the market for second locations and the completion of a number of different goals.

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