The US-Based Lunar Express recently announced that it will fund all the needs to land its first rover on the moon. There will be a handful of teams who will be competing for the Google's Lunar X Price. The competition aimed to open separate pathways to the Earth's only satellite.

The general discussion with regards to the legal ramifications is heating up as the commercial exploitation of the moon, and other celestial objects become clearer and realistic.

According to US Press From, a team that can land a robotic spacecraft on the Moon, move the vehicle up to 500 meters (1,640 feet) on the lunar surface, and send back high-definition photos and videos to Earth will be declared as winner.

There are five Google Lunar XPRIZE teams which have been awarded a combined US$5.25 million as recognition of the key technological advancements toward their quests to land a private spacecraft on the moon. The awardees were determined by a judging panel of science, aeronautics, and space industry experts. They were evaluated through numerous tests for the past years.

According to Google Lunar X Price, Google is offering a $20 million dollar payday to the first team who can complete the three tasks. The following functions are to land a spacecraft on the moon, drive 500 meters, and transmit high-definition footage back to Earth.

The winning team who can complete the three tasks must carry out their mission before the end of the year with the use of private funding. The runner-up will receive $5 million.

Here are the 9 awarded Milestone Prizes as follows:

  • Astrobotic (US): IMAGING ($250,000), MOBILITY ($500,000), LANDING ($1M)
  • Team Indus (India): LANDING ($1M)
  • Hakuto (Japan): MOBILITY ($500,000)
  • Moon Express (US): IMAGING ($250,000), LANDING ($1M)
  • Part-Time Scientists (Germany): IMAGING ($250,000), MOBILITY ($500,000)

"The $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE is asking teams to accomplish a feat that has never been achieved-the safe landing of a private craft on the lunar surface that travels at least 500 meters and transmits high-definition video and imagery back to Earth," Robert K. Weiss, vice chairman and president of XPRIZE said."

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