NASA to host Lunar Lander face-off

NASA plans to return to the moon, and officials are looking for help in developing technology for the mission.

NASA and the X-Prize Foundation will conduct a $2 million Lunar Lander Analog Challenge, officials said.

The competition will be a vehicle to "plant the seeds for future commercial space activities," said Shana Dale, NASA's deputy administrator.

"We're confident the Lunar Lander Analog Competition will stimulate the development of the kinds of rockets and landing systems NASA needs to return to the moon, while also accelerating development of the private suborbital space flight industry," she said.

The challenge will take place at the X-Prize Cup Expo in Las Cruces, N.M., Oct. 20-22. Competing teams will demonstrate their vehicles' ability to launch vertically, hover, land on a target more than 100 yards away, and then repeat the feat.

For information about Centennial Challenges, click here.