![](http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--cApkiMld--/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/ufwpfpwb0l86ldavoquq.png)
Going to the Moon is officially hip again, thanks in no small part to Google, which is offering $20 million to the first private company that can land on our nearest neighbor, roll around a bit, and beam images back to Earth. The latest contender for that sweet sweet X-Prize money is a Japanese company, which has just obtained a launch vehicle for the shiny metal cheese grater rover it plans to send to the Moon late next year.
Source: io9