THE million-dollar Lunar Lander Challenge prize will be claimed this year. Already one team’s craft has completed an Earth-based test trip which proves it has the oomph to achieve lunar orbit from the moon’s surface. Two more teams will attempt to do the same before the end of October.
The Scorpius, built by Armadillo Aerospace of Rockwall,Texas, took off on 13 September from a launch pad at nearby Caddo Mills. Fuelled by a blend of liquid oxygen and alcohol, it rose 50 metres into the air and headed to a mock lunar landing pad 50 metres away. After refuelling and…
