Moon
Stories about opportunities and missions on the Moon.
ispace Inches Closer to Another Lunar Attempt
ispace is itching for another attempt at a lunar joyride.
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.
NASA Asks Industry for Interplanetary Comms Plans
The challenge of surviving and operating in deep space will be a relatively new one for the private sector.
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.
US Moon Landers Face Risks From Fire, Mass, and Prop Transfer
SpaceX is scheduled to perform an lunar orbit check-out a year after its first Moon landing—huh?
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.
ispace Crashes on the Moon in Second Attempt
Officials said the lander failed to slow down enough for landing, likely crashing into the lunar surface, but the root problem is unclear.
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.
NASA’s FY26 Plan Would Cut Gateway, Phase Out SLS, Orion
The Trump administration’s proposed budget for NASA focuses on beating China back to the Moon and sending the first humans to Mars at the expense of every other part of the space agency’s budget.
Lockheed Martin Hands Over Orion for Artemis II
It is scheduled to carry four astronauts around the Moon in early 2026.
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.
