Google issues moon challenge

14th September 2007

Search engine Google has issue a novel challenge to entrepreneurs this week as it asked them to - literally - aim for the stars.

The web portal is offering £15 million to the first private company that can land a satellite on the moon.

However, the winner will have to not only land their device on the moon, but meet a number of other targets.

Once on the moon's surface, the machine must be able to travel for a minimum of 500 metres and send back video and image data.

Google is running the competition in concert with the X Prize Foundation, chaired by Peter Diamandis.

He said that the project aims "to return us to the lunar surface and explore this environment for the benefit of all humanity".

The X Prize Foundation offers cash prizes for scientific advances made towards "benefiting humanity", according to the body's website.