X Prize Cup Rocket Goes Up In Flames

Washington (EON) – Armadillo Aerospace’s mod lunar lander prototype went up in flames on Sunday during its final launch attempt at the X Prize Cup backed by NASA.

The event took place at the Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico and unfortunately for Armadillo Aerospace, the the year-long quest to win the air and rocket show ended up in flames.

This is the second year ina row that the Armadillo team ended up losing their quest to win the $350,000 in prize money from NASA. The team is backed by millionaire video-game programmer John Carmack.

There were no injuris according to Brett Alexander, the X Prize Foundations executive director for space prized. The rocket craft was not totally destroyed but ended up in flames.

Alexander quoted Carmack as stating “Today is officially a bad day.”

A total of $2 million in potential prized makes up the Lunar Lander Challenge from NASA’s Centennial Challenges program.

Peter Diamandis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the X Prize Foundation stated “From the field we heard a little bit of a boom and there was a hard start on the engien of some type.”

“I would expect that next year there will be more than one team competing, but I don’t know. I do know now that all $2 million is still on the table. So there’s an incentive for those that are still pushing…and an incentive for us to hold the Cup and have a great event,” Alexander explained at a post-Lunar Lander Challenge press conference.

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