Lunar
Stories about commercial, civil, and international missions on and around the Moon.
Zeno Power Hires NASA’s Former Chief Technologist
Charania, who also recently signed on as an advisor for Balerion Space Ventures, brings 25+ years of experience at many of the biggest names in the space industry.
NASA Wants To Hit the Accelerator On Lunar Atomics
The Trump administration’s first big change to the Artemis program is a plan to deliver a 100kw nuclear fission reactor to the lunar surface by 2030, with the job done almost entirely by the private sector.
The Push For a Sustainable Lunar Economy
“There needs to be more transparency on how the world is thinking about lunar sustainability,” said Charity Weeden, a former NASA policy chief whose views do not represent the agency. “It’s critical not to mess up, because you don’t necessarily get a second chance.”
ILRS Member Senegal Joins Artemis Accords
“Senegal chooses to join the great human adventure that has always driven us to explore the unknown,” Maram Kairé, the director general of the Senegalese Agency for Space Studies, said at a ceremony at NASA HQ in DC. “This signature marks a meaningful step in our space diplomacy and in our ambition to contribute to the peaceful exploration of outer space.”
LH3M Wins Five Patents for Lunar Helium-3 Extraction
Lunar Helium-3 Mining, LLC (LH3M) secured its fifth US patent last month, covering the company’s end-to-end architecture for He-3 detection, extraction, and refinement on the Moon.
ispace Blames Faulty Hardware for Failed Lunar Landing
A two-and-a-half week internal investigation revealed that the lander’s Laser Range Finder (LRF) was likely to blame for the high-speed collision with the lunar surface.
Venturi Space Unveils its All-European Rover
A tangible example of Europe’s efforts to achieve technological independence at home—and on another world.
Sierra Space Wins $3.6M NASA Lunar Logistics Contract
The contract—part of NASA’s NextSTEP-2 Appendix R set of studies—tasks Sierra Space with examining how it would upgrade its LEO space station technology to withstand the lunar environment, given the Moon’s sharp regolith and extra gravity.
Intuitive Machines Says The Moon Is Still Go
CEO Steve Altemus hopes to win new NASA Moon contracts in 2025.
Zeno Power Raises $50M Series B
Zeno’s technology uses the heat emitted from nuclear waste—an isotope called Strontium-90—to power systems in extreme environments where solar cells and batteries fail.
Interlune Unveils Prototype Lunar Helium-3 Excavator
Space resources startup Interlune announced yesterday that its first customers are ready to buy its Moon-mined Helium-3.
Start Your Engines: The Lunar Rover Race Has Begun
Payload spoke with several companies building next-gen lunar rovers—including Astrolab, ispace, Intuitive Machines, and Lunar Outpost—about the biggest challenges and opportunities in this sector.
China Shares Moon Rocks, Steps Up Space Collaboration
China announced that it will share lunar samples with international researchers and fly other nations’ payloads aboard future Moon and Mars missions—a giant leap for Beijing’s space diplomacy efforts.
