This launch and landing services contract enables Lunar Outpost to provide industry leading mobility and infrastructure services on the lunar surface that will drive the Artemis campaign.
21 November 2024
Lunar Outpost, the industry leader in lunar surface mobility, commercial space robotics, and space resources, today announced it has signed an agreement with SpaceX to deliver Lunar Outpost’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) to the Moon aboard a SpaceX Starship for launch and landing. A leading opportunity for transporting heavy cargo to the lunar surface, this partnership unlocks Lunar Outpost to provide surface mobility to future NASA Artemis astronauts, and to establish critical infrastructure enabling sustainable commercial access to the lunar surface and other strategic locations in space.
Today’s announcement arrives on the heels of significant technical milestones for both companies. Lunar Outpost’s LTV human factors mockup recently completed testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX, following a successful System Requirements Review in September. SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket have made tremendous recent progress, including not only multiple successful launches of the Starship system but also the successful landing of the Super Heavy booster back in Starbase, TX, using the Mechazilla launch tower and chopsticks arms.
“Lunar Outpost’s LTV is designed to be the backbone of lunar surface operations by enabling science and exploration, building and maintaining interplanetary infrastructure, and facilitating space resource utilization,” said Justin Cyrus, founder and CEO of Lunar Outpost. “Having experienced the recent groundbreaking Starship test flight firsthand, we’re confident that SpaceX is advancing the most capable launch system ever created and will successfully land our Eagle vehicles on the surface of the Moon. This contract is instrumental to accelerating Lunar Outpost’s mission of enabling a sustainable human presence in space and we look forward to working with SpaceX to make that happen.”
Named the Lunar Outpost Eagle, Lunar Outpost’s LTV is being developed as part of NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) contract. The Lunar Outpost Eagle is designed to revolutionize surface mobility on the Moon, supporting both manned and unmanned missions, offering advanced autonomous navigation, and featuring reconfigurable cargo options to maximize surface mission profiles for both governmental and commercial customers. With the ability to operate during harsh lunar night conditions, the LTV’s mission life extends from days to years, playing a crucial role in sustainable lunar activities. The Lunar Outpost Eagle is being built by the Lunar Dawn team, which is led by Lunar Outpost and includes industry leading collaborators Leidos, MDA Space, Goodyear, and General Motors.