Aero Linx: 2009 Northrop
Grumman Lunar Lander X CHALLENGE
On November 5, 2009, the X PRIZE Foundation along with NASA
hosted the NGLLXPC 2009 awards ceremony in Washington D.C. Masten
Space Systems, led by David Masten, was awarded the top $1 million
prize, while Armadillo Aerospace, led by id Software founder John
Carmack took home the second place prize of $500,000. The NGLLXPC
is a partnership with NASA funding the $2 million in prize money as
part of their Centennial Challenges program while the X PRIZE
Foundation managed the competition which began in 2006. The $2
million prize purse, with part of it already awarded to Armadillo
Aerospace in 2008, is the largest incentivized prize awarded by the
X PRIZE Foundation since the winni