Lunar
Stories about commercial, civil, and international missions on and around the Moon.
ispace Launches Lunar Integrator Service With Starship
The Japanese company announced Tuesday that it had secured 500 kg of payload capacity on Starship to launch no earlier than 2030.
Exclusive: Lunar Forge Unveils Plans to Build Lunar Infrastructure Out of Dust
Lunar Forge’s idea is to drastically reduce the cost required to set up fission reactors, by using regolith to build the majority of the support structure to house and shield the reactor core.
NASA Praises Blue Origin’s Mishap Progress, Announces Moon Base Contracts
NASA said the vendors plan to fly “updated versions of already-flown lander designs” to try to meet the agency’s goal of monthly landings with NASA payloads.
Instinct Space Unveils Plans for Low-Cost Lunar Landers
Instinct Space announced a significant pivot today from helping lunar surface missions find their way to getting in on the surface action itself.
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.
