NASA gave Armadillo Aerospace of Rockwall, Texas, a $350,000 prize during the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge in Las Cruces, N.M.

The challenge is a two-level, $2 million competition designed to accelerate commercial space technology and is sponsored by NASA’s Centennial Challenges program.

After Armadillo’s $350,000 first place win for level one this year, $1.65 million remains as available prize money for future competitions.

Armadillo’s winning vehicle successfully demonstrated some of the technologies needed for a lunar lander capable of ferrying payloads or humans back and forth between lunar orbit and the lunar surface.

During the first day of competition at Las Cruces International Airport on Oct. 24, the vehicle rose to a height of 50 meters, translated to a landing pad 100 meters away while staying aloft for at least 90 seconds, landed safely and later repeated the flight.