Lunar Outpost is teaming up with oil giant Castrol on its Lunar Voyage 1 mission to the Moon’s south pole, the company announced on Thursday.
Their Lunar Voyage 1 mission—the second of four planned lunar missions—is expected to launch this year aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Lunar Outpost is planning to use an Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander to get its rover to the Shackleton Range at the Moon’s south pole.
Gold rush: Once on the lunar surface, the Lunar Outpost rover—the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform, or MAPP—will traverse the as-yet-unexplored frontier of the lunar south pole and go a-prospectin’.
The mission has its eye on some big milestones. If successful, MAPP could become the first rover on the Moon’s south pole and the first commercial rover on another planetary body. In addition, Lunar Outpost could conduct the first sale of space resources.
Castrol is crucial to helping Lunar Outpost meet these objectives. As the lead Mission Control Center collaborator, they will support the development of their Mission Control Center, which will be the hub of navigation and operations throughout the two-week mission.
Lunar Outpost hopes to open up the lunar economy by proving that making it to the Moon is good for business. Working with Castrol is a way to ensure the mission is a successful one.
“Castrol has worked with NASA since the first Apollo missions. Having the expertise of industry leaders with space heritage will not only support our commercial goals for Lunar Voyage 1 but will also help the space industry thrive,” Lunar Outpost CEO Justin Cyrus said in a statement.
Clarification: This story has been updated to reflect the nature of Castrol’s partnership on Mission Control Center.
