Google Lunar X Prize

The Google Lunar X Prize was a global competition offering $20 million to privately-funded teams that could successfully land a robotic spacecraft on the Moon, travel at least 500 meters across its surface, and transmit high-definition images and data back to Earth, all by the deadline in 2018. The goal was to inspire innovation in space technology, reduce costs, and promote commercial exploration. Although no team claimed the full prize, the challenge spurred advancements in lunar robotics and inspired new approaches to space missions, contributing to the broader goal of commercial lunar exploration.