The $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE is an awesome race to the Moon----challenging a variety of private companies to be the first to land their own rover on the lunar surface

With 25 teams, all ramping up the action every week, there’s a lot of news that comes along! So each week I round up the best items from around the Prize.

The land claims have begun! Or at least, the real estate plans. Check out Synergy Moon’s plan, plus some big milestones and updates from the other teams!:

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1.) A Lot At Stake! In a pretty big step, Team Synergy Moon posted their plan for (literally) staking out legal claims on lunar land, with miniature-research-facility “stakes”:

Synergy Moon image.

”Current outer space legal theory supports a person, group or company creating a facility and making a temporary claim to a limited area on the moon or anywhere else in the solar system for research, development, mining, etc., with the legal right to remain free of any interference, for as long as the facility is active. Earthbound international precedents extend this claim to 500 meters around the development site.” -Kevin Myrick of Synergy Moon

They also plan to let you plant a Stake---though their quote says a “facility” creates the land claim, so I’m not sure whether a Stake would legally hold up as a 'facility'.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below or tweet to us @mymoonlpi! (tag it #spacelaw for bonus points!)

2.) IL Communication! Team SpaceIL posted an informative update on their progress so far!:

“Three months ago IAI finished an extensive review regarding SpaceIL’s technical solution. Since the review – we've finished the basic design for the landing control, the mission computer design has reached the final stages before manufacturing, and we narrowed the options for camera's hardware to three possibilities and we're starting to test them.’ - Team SpaceIL

3.) Hoppin’! Team White Label Space completed their Tethered Flight Test 1!

“... 2. Demonstrate that the vehicle has sufficient thrust to actually liftoff.” -White Label Space’s test objectives

Find out if it did by checking out their blog on the test!

White Label Space image.

4.) Scoping Out! Team Moon Express posted a video on the development of the lunar telescope they plan to deliver to the Moon!:

5.) Taking Stock! Team SpaceIL was in the news again, this time being interviewed by Stock News Now about their business plan. An interesting (and direct) take!:

See the video at StockNewsNow!

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I’ll be rounding these up on a weekly basis, so check back to keep up on what cool things are going down with the Google Lunar X PRIZE!

For the full skinny on everything that happens, follow the official Lunar X PRIZE feeds for team blogs, team social feeds, and team videos

And if you have any favorite GLXP items that I didn’t share here...post’em in the comments below! We can all debate the awesomeness ;)

by: Nick A.

Tuesday Aug-28-2012