As regular readers of this blog no doubt already know, the Google Lunar X PRIZE rules have not yet been locked down. Rather, they are published in a near-final state, allowing us the chance to take into account feedback from registered teams and other experts around the world, ultimately leading to the creation of the best possible rule set.

Today, in advance of the first ever Google Lunar X PRIZE Team Summit [1], we released the newest iteration of the rules, the Google Lunar X PRIZE Guidelines version 2.0. The document is available for download by filling out this simple form [2] (which allows us to keep track of how many people are seeing the rules, and where they are geographically located, to aid in analysis of the prize's effectiveness and reach).

This new version is not terribly different from version 1.0. An explanatory cover letter available if you fill out the same form highlights the differences between the two. I'll paste the contents of that cover letter below for easier access.

Thanks to everyone who submitted comments on Guidelines v1.0 via email, the Forum [3], or in person--you have helped us refine our language and craft a better rule set. Thanks to your questions, comments, and suggestions, I think we have a better, more logical, more complete Guidelines draft for all to enjoy.

One side note--there was some reorganization in the sections, meaning that section numbers have changed. When discussing the Guidelines on the Forum or elsewhere, you may want to note which version's number system you are using. I'll have to go back and clean this up in the Official Q&A [4], although that likely won't happen until after the Summit.

PS - Don't miss my quick post from a few hours ago [5]!

Cover Letter Text

After months of processing feedback from registered Teams, industry experts, and members of the general public, the X PRIZE Foundation is pleased to release a revised draft of the Google Lunar X PRIZE Guidelines. This version of the Guidelines represents a nearly final set of rules that will allow Teams to continue working towards winning the prize with the confidence that they understand the challenges ahead.

The majority of the changes made between this version and the last are minor: correcting typographic mistakes, reorganizing sections to create a more logical flow, clarifying points where the meaning of a phrase was vague, et cetera. There are, however, a few substantive changes. These changes were stimulated by suggestions and questions posed by interested parties from around the world. Each such suggestion was seriously considered by a dedicated Team of X PRIZE Foundation staff and impartial experts, with open minds and a common desire to create the strongest rule set and robust competition possible.

There are two significant changes between this version of the Guidelines and the previous: Payload and Competition Media Rights.
The first change deals with the issue of Payload. Though quick summaries of the Google Lunar X PRIZE Guidelines often focus on the need to land on the Moon, move at least 500 meters, and transmit approximately a gigabyte of data back to the Earth, the additional requirement for Teams to carry a 500-gram payload is far from trivial. Each gram landed on the lunar surface is done so at great expense—for that extra gram means extra fuel on the launch vehicle, the trans-lunar injection stage, the lunar lander, et cetera.

Though this Payload requirement is not easy, it is important to the Competition for two main reasons. The first is the opportunity it provides to engage the public and connect them with the missions. Inspired by the Golden Record carried aboard the Voyager missions, the X PRIZE Foundation will similarly attempt to encapsulate the essence of contemporary humanity using this small mass allotment—a challenging but exciting and rewarding task.

The second reason that the Payload is so important is that it provides a means for the Google Lunar X PRIZE Teams to prove to future customers that they are capable and ready for payload delivery to the Moon. It demonstrates that they have designed a system flexible enough to allow loading of this payload at a fairly late stage in the mission design. Similarly, the Ansari X PRIZE for suborbital spaceflight called not for one person onboard but the capability to carry three. This was based on the competition design criteria that called for the capability of carrying passengers.

Those two goals remain in this new draft of the Google Lunar X PRIZE Guidelines; however, the specific requirement has been changed in response to feedback we have received. The revised Guidelines now clearly state that 250 grams of Payload can remain on the stationary lander, if there is a separate vehicle that moves, while the remaining Payload must be on the mobile vehicle. Further, the Payload on the mobile vehicle is based on a sliding scale equivalent to 1% of the mobile vehicle’s dry mass. Should all of the Payload be placed on the mobile vehicle, it shall be 250 grams plus 1% of the dry weight of the mobile vehicle.
The change in Payload requirement addresses the concern that a fixed requirement of 500 grams might serve as a disincentive to the development of new, lightweight vehicles that would serve as a radical breakthrough in planetary exploration technology. If 500 grams is a difficult requirement for a 50-kg rover, it surely would be an even more difficult requirement for a 1-kg rover. Under the revised Guidelines, a Google Lunar X PRIZE Team implementing a radical new system weighing much less than anything ever used before will be rewarded by carrying less overall mass, while still meeting the same proportional requirement as any other competitors.

The second important substantive change deals with the issue of Competition Media Rights. Since releasing the first public draft of the Google Lunar X PRIZE Guidelines, concerns have been expressed about the rights associated with a variety of media related to the competition, such as television shows, documentaries, et cetera. The issue is an important one.

With regards to content: the section of the Google Lunar X PRIZE Guidelines that talks about Competition Media Rights broadly refers to three categories of media usage: programming, publicity, and promotion. It is not, generally speaking, dealing with the dissemination of scientific information; nor is it talking about the recording of material so detailed as to compromise ownership of patents or other similar pieces of technical intellectual property. Additionally, the section is not meant to cover “breaking news” clips—very short duration pieces that will be freely given to the press to report on unfolding events. Instead, this section deals with documentaries, video specials, reality TV shows, et cetera—the media that will carry the story of the Google Lunar X PRIZE around the world and achieve the transformation we seek in how people think about our two world system and lunar exploration.

The primary job for Teams competing for the Google Lunar X PRIZE is to complete a successful mission and take home prize money. The Foundation’s primary goal is to educate and inspire people of all ages around the world. In achieving this goal, we help each Team in their efforts by building an international following of fans and potential customers. To help us all meet our objectives, the Foundation will be working with each Team to create a pipeline of multimedia content.

The X PRIZE Foundation is in the best position to generate, aggregate and distribute Competition content. The X PRIZE Foundation will produce television, digital media, et cetera that covers the context, issues and all the Teams efforts in their race to the Moon., With a depth and breadth of content that spans specials, documentaries, and live mission coverage, the Foundation will deliver a powerful, complementary slate of television programming.

Conducting the first ever privately-run mission to leave Earth orbit will be a high-cost, high-reward proposition. It will be a costly effort for the teams. The Foundation will also have considerable costs to stage ramp up events to stimulate and sustain interest, develop and distribute educational programs and materials, and package the content into meaningful programs and platforms to reach the public. The Foundation’s planned mix of promotion, publicity, television programming, and online content is essential to the competition. The purpose of the Google Lunar X PRIZE is to incentivise these lunar missions. Although some may feel that this takes some potential revenue streams away from teams, that is not the intention of the PRIZE. Allowing each Team to separately package their own programming and mission coverage is not practical or beneficial to the overall competition. Imagine if Olympic teams each went out and tried to make their own television deals: it would not result in the best telling of the entire story, and there would be chaos in the marketplace.

The X PRIZE Foundation is hiring a major international agency to represent its competitions in the packaging and sale of television and other media rights. This agency will negotiate the best deals on behalf of the Google Lunar X PRIZE competition. Rather than allowing each Team to negotiate deals separately or having the X PRIZE Foundation broker a single deal, the responsibility will be borne by our world-class representative, with long time experience in selling media packages. They have the personnel and business relationships to achieve success. Additionally, as they work on a contingent basis, they will have a direct financial incentive to ensure that the value of the rights is maximized.

The XPF will share and distribute the revenue from these media sales with the teams. The Grand Prize winner will be entitled to the largest single share of any net revenue. If there is a Second Place winner, that Team will also earn a significant share of the revenues. A portion of the remaining funds will be split between the other registered Teams, who, though they haven’t won, will have added to the overall value and quality of the competition. The media revenue share formula is still being developed and will be released soon.

Taken together, the changes to the Guidelines reflect the Foundation’s intent to create a Competition that is both challenging and winnable, while being fair to all of the Teams involved. We look forward to receiving further feedback on this edition of the Guidelines.