Lunar
Stories about commercial, civil, and international missions on and around the Moon.
Astrolab Unveils Payloads Flying on FLIP Lunar Mission
Astrolab is headed to the Moon this year with a rover-load of science payloads.
Potomac Database Systems Unveils Plans to Amass Lunar Data
There’s money to be made on the Moon, but it’s not all mining and infrastructure.
Intuitive Machines Bets on Lunar Comms with Goonhilly Buy
Intuitive Machines is going all-in on lunar comms. Yesterday, Intuitive Machines announced a definitive agreement to acquire UK-based Goonhilly Earth Station, as well as Goonhilly’s US subsidiary COMSAT, to expand the lunar company’s offering in deep-space comms and PNT. “Customers have been clear that they want a single, integrated, and resilient solution for their communications…
Lunar Outpost Closes $30M Series B, Unveils New Rover
The fundraise highlights the huge demand from investors looking to capitalize on NASA’s new vision for the US presence on the Moon.
Payload Field Guide: Lunar Rovers
As NASA and its partners push harder toward a sustained human presence on the Moon, mobility is mission-critical. Moon buggies with lawn chairs might’ve been good enough for the Apollo-era, but long-term surface operations depend on lunar rovers that can pull their weight (quite literally). For decades, lunar rovers were the domain of national space…
Astrobotic Hotfires Engine That Could Power Moon Missions
The continuous burn of 300 seconds (five minutes) with one of their two Chakram engine prototypes was one of several tests the company conducted at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, AL.
NASA’s 2028 Moon Landing Has A Spacesuit Problem, New Report Says
NASA’s 2028 Moon-landing date for astronauts is threatened by delays in spacesuit development, according to an Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report released Monday.
Axiom Space’s Suit Set to Fly in 2027
“From a production standpoint, we’re putting together the first qualification suit,” Michael López-Alegría, the company’s chief astronaut, told Payload. “That continues regardless of what they say.”
ICON Prime Launches, Led By Former TX Rep
Robotic construction company ICON today announced the establishment of ICON Prime, a new business unit that will work with the Pentagon and NASA.
Moog’s “Tip to Tail” Contributions to the Artemis II Flight
“Moog supplies more than 100 different pieces of hardware that go from tip to tail of the rocket, [and] into the Orion system.”
Artemis II Gives Airbus Hope For European Spaceflight
At the heart of Artemis II’s Orion spacecraft is the European Service Module (ESM), built by Airbus Defence and Space in Bremen, Germany, on behalf of ESA.
Czech Radiation Chips on Artemis II Bring ISS Experience
With the sun at solar maximum, HERA serves as an instant warning system if a solar flare emerges.
How Earthlings Got Views of the Lunar Fly By
Redwire has built 11 cameras that are installed around the inside and outside of the Orion capsule, Kaylee Geidel, a senior systems engineer at Redwire, told Payload.
