Discovery Channel to partner with the Google Lunar X Prize

Science Channel and Discovery channel are partnering for the Google Lunar XPRIZE, a global competition to land an unmanned spacecraft on the moon with live coverage from the lunar surface. The nets will present a miniseries based on the competition, following the participating teams from test-lifts to coverage of the winning craft. The privately-funded company that comes out on top will win $30 million.

Discovery Channel and sister network Science Channel will partner with the Google Lunar X Prize for a television mini-series about the competition. The contest promises $30 million for landing a robot on the lunar surface, moving it at least 500 meters and for transmitting high-definition video and images back to Earth — by Dec. 31, 2015. Teams must be primarily privately funded. “The $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE offers all the ingredients of fantastic television — stakes, competition, big characters, and mind-blowing visuals. It’s the perfect project for Science Channel and Discovery Channel to partner on,” Eileen O’Neill, vice president for Discovery Channel, Science Channel and Velocity, said in a statement.