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☆ Rocket builder Firefly’s new CEO is working ‘maniacally’ to scale launches, spacecraft and moon missions
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-29 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

He sees gaps in the launch market for Firefly's Alpha and coming MLV rockets, which slot into the middle of the small-to-heavy class of vehicles. Firefly has three main product lines: its rockets, Alpha and MLV; space tugs, called Elytra, and lunar landers, known as Blue Ghost. More rocketsThe company's fifth Alpha launch lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California in July 2024. A rendering of the MLV rocket. Firefly AerospaceKim sees Firefly as having a key advantage — "an engine that works" — in its Reaver engines that power the Alpha rockets.

Persons: Jason Kim, Firefly Aerospace Jason Kim, he's, Elon Musk's, ULA, Jeff Bezos, Kim, he'd, I'm, … I'm, what's, Firefly's, Trevor Mahlmann, Northrop, Aerospace Kim, Miranda, We've, MLV, Firefly's Alpha, Lockheed Martin, Simone Biles, we're Organizations: Firefly Aerospace, Aerospace, Boeing, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Firefly's Alpha, CNBC, Firefly, Alpha, California's Vandenberg Space Force Base, Industrial Partners, Vandenberg Space Force, SpaceX, Lockheed, Payload Services, NASA, Blue Locations: U.S, Austin , Texas, California's, California, Northrop's, Briggs , Texas

☆ NASA administrator weighs in on China’s historic lunar far side samples — and potential US access
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-01 | by ( Kristin Fisher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The government of China now possesses something that no other humans have ever encountered — rocks and soil from the far side of the moon. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told CNN he’s “pleased to hear CNSA intends to share” the materials collected by the Chang’e-6 lunar probe last month. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, shown here during a pre-launch news conference on Boeing's first crewed spacecraft, the Boeing Starliner, on May 3, said he's "pleased" China intends to share the lunar far side samples. China opened those samples to international scientists for the first time last August, and Nelson has given NASA-funded researchers the green light to apply for access. TheUS government has not landed a robotic spacecraft on the moon since 1968, but NASA is currently funding the development of lunar landers by private companies through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS program.

Persons: ”, Liu Yunfeng, Bill Nelson, CNN he’s “, CNSA, ” Nelson, he's, Miguel J, Rodriguez Carrillo, Bian Zhigang, Nelson, Artemis, Joel Kowsky, Artemis III, Odie Organizations: CNN, NASA, China National Space Administration, Boeing, AFP, Getty, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Apollo, Soviet, Soviet Union —, “, Beijing, Orion, Kennedy Space Center, NASA NASA, SpaceX, Payload Services, Astrobotic Technologies Locations: China, United States, Beijing, Soviet Union, Nelson, Florida

☆ Lunar landing photos: Intuitive Machines' Odysseus sends back first images from the moon
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus explains how the company's IM-1 lander tipped over on the moon's surfacing during a NASA press conference on Feb. 22, 2023. Intuitive Machines' cargo lander, Odysseus, returned its first images from the moon's surface over the weekend, as the spacecraft settles in to its lunar destination. The company's historic IM-1 mission is now operating on the moon after landing on Thursday, becoming the first privately developed spacecraft to soft land on the lunar surface. Intuitive Machines expects Odysseus to operate until Tuesday morning, when its solar panels will no longer be exposed to the sun. The Odysseus lander carried 12 government and commercial payloads — six of which are for NASA under a $118 million contract through the agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS, initiative.

Persons: Steve Altemus, Odysseus Organizations: NASA, Payload Services

☆ NASA is back on the moon — with the first commercial lunar landing ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The IM-1 mission's landing helps catapult the US into a 21st-century space race to the moon's south pole. AdvertisementAn American moon lander touched down on the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years on Thursday. For its last lunar landing attempt in January, NASA partnered with the Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic Technology to send its Peregrine spacecraft to the moon. Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander beamed back its first images from space earlier this month. So NASA and Intuitive Machines have officially put the new commercial lunar era in swing, and they're just getting started.

Persons: —, Astrobotic, Odysseus, Tim Crain, Japan's, Trent Martin, NASA hitches, they're Organizations: NASA, Service, Houston, SpaceX, US, Spaceflight, Payload, Pittsburgh, Technology, Machines Locations: Russia, India, Japan, China

☆ Live updates: Odysseus moon landing
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Elise Hammond | Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Intuitive Machines Co-Founder, President, and CEO Steve Altemus talks about the IM-1 Lunar Lander, Nova-C, during a press event, in Houston, in October 2023. Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post/Getty ImagesIntuitive Machines is a Houston-based company just up the road from NASA's Johnson Space Center, or JSC. It's one of several private-sector companies that have been tasked by the space agency to get robotic landers to the moon as NASA works on separate plans to return its astronauts. But it was later renegotiated, and — all told — Intuitive Machines could receive up to $118 million from NASA for this mission. Its stock has been on a tear recently amid its successes in space, surging up about 80% over the past five days as of Thursday afternoon.

Persons: Steve Altemus, Jonathan Newton, Steve Atlemus, JSC Kamal Ghaffarian, Tim Crain, landers Organizations: Washington Post, NASA's Johnson Space Center, JSC, NASA, Payload Services Locations: Nova, Houston, NASA's

☆ Investing in Space: Former NASA official explains 'shots on goal' approach to cargo moon landings
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. We're six years on from NASA declaring it would look to American companies to deliver cargo and research to the moon. As much as CLPS companies are bidding against each other for contracts, it's another example of what I've called space industry coopetition — simultaneous cooperation and competition. Already, Astrobotic represents that dynamic, holding a briefing with other CLPS companies to share the learnings from the company's first effort. But how many CLPS mission failures will NASA tolerate?

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, it's, Thomas Zurbuchen, Zurbuchen, Z, Astrobotic's, – Organizations: NASA, Payload, Aerospace

☆ Moon Landing The Spacecraft Odysseus Prepares for Its Shot at the Moon
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Kenneth Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

And whatever happens during Thursday’s landing attempt, expect more companies to race toward the moon in the years ahead. NASA is looking to send astronauts to the moon in the coming years, and robotic spacecraft will go there first. For NASA, buying rides on private spacecraft to take instruments and equipment to the moon is cheaper than building its own vehicles. Some of the companies that NASA had selected to bid for CLPS missions have already gone out of business. Among other ambitious business ideas: mining the moon for helium-3 for future fusion power plants on Earth.

Persons: Peregrine Organizations: NASA, Payload Services, International Space

☆ Watch Intuitive Machines attempt the first U.S. moon landing in over 50 years
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Intuitive Machines' mission, known as IM-1, aims to soft land near the moon's south pole at about 6:24 p.m. Intuitive Machines would become the first company to pull off the feat — government agencies have carried out all previous successful landings. Intuitive Machines, a Houston, Texas-based company founded in 2013, went public a year ago. After landing, Intuitive Machines aims to operate Odysseus on the surface for up to seven days. NASA leadership emphasized before the launch that "IM-1 is an Intuitive Machines' mission, it's not a NASA mission."

Persons: Odysseus, Aubrey Gemignani, it's, Astrobotic Organizations: Wall, SpaceX, NASA, Payload, Marshall Space, Center, U.S Locations: U.S, Houston , Texas, Pittsburgh, Japan, Russia, China, India

☆ Intuitive Machines snags the first commercial moon landing ever. Its Odysseus lander returns NASA to the moon after 52 years.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Intuitive Machines mission control reported that it was receiving pings from the lander, which means it touched down at about 6:24 p.m. Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander beamed back its first images from space earlier this month. Intuitive MachinesNASA has several CLPS missions scheduled over the next two years, including two more with Intuitive Machines. AdvertisementEven later this year, a different Intuitive Machines spacecraft is scheduled to head to the western edge of the moon's near side. So NASA and Intuitive Machines have officially put the new commercial lunar era in swing, and they're just getting started.

Persons: Astrobotic, Odysseus, Tim Crain, —, Japan's, Trent Martin, NASA hitches, they're Organizations: Houston, NASA, SpaceX, US, Spaceflight, Payload, Pittsburgh, Technology, Machines Locations: Russia, India, Japan, China

☆ Intuitive Machines stock has surged 300%. How Wall Street reads the moon-fueled rally
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

NASA TVMuch like Intuitive Machines' spacecraft, its stock has been flying to the moon the past week. Stock Chart Icon Stock chart icon Intuitive Machines stock trading around its IM-1 moon mission. Only a handful of Wall Street analysts cover the $1 billion space company. Along with Canaccord Genuity analyst Austin Moeller, Sullivan and Sheppard were unanimous in their reads that retail, not institutional, investors are driving the current Intuitive Machines' rally. Intuitive Machines and NASA leaders showcase a mockup of the company's Nova-C lunar lander during a presentation on May 31, 2019.

Persons: It's, We've, Cantor Fitzgerald's Andres Sheppard, Sheppard, Josh Sullivan, Canaccord, Austin Moeller, Sullivan, Aubrey Gemignani, NASA Canaccord's Moeller, they'll, Moeller Organizations: NASA, Wall, CNBC, Wall Street, FactSet, Payload Locations: Texas, U.S

☆ Moon landing attempt: Odysseus ran into last-minute navigation issues
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 lander, also called Odysseus or “Odie,” is on the lunar surface after experiencing unexpected issues hours prior to landing. “Intuitive Machines made the decision to reassign the primary navigation sensors from Odysseus … to use the sensors on NASA’s Navigation Doppler Lidar,” according to the webcast. With its landing legs and sensors pointed toward the lunar terrain, Odysseus relied on the Lidar payload to locate a safe landing spot. The IM-1 mission comes amid a renewed international dash for the lunar surface. Odysseus passes over the near side of the moon following lunar orbit insertion on February 21.

Persons: Odie, ”, Steve Altemus, Odysseus, Gary Jordan, …, landers, Farzin, Jeff Koons, We’re, ” Altemus, Altemus Organizations: CNN, NASA, Soviet, Columbia, Embry, Riddle Aeronautical University, Astrobotic Technology, Peregrine, Payload Services Locations: China, India, Japan, Malapert, Daytona Beach , Florida

☆ Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus: Why moon-landing missions are hard to do
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Kristin Fisher | Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The lunar lander called Odysseus or IM-1, created by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines, is barreling toward the moon. If it fails, Odysseus would become the third lunar lander to meet a fiery demise on the moon in less than a year. Russia’s first lunar lander mission in 47 years, Luna 25, failed in August 2023 when it crash-landed. Overall, more than half of all lunar landing attempts have ended in failure — tough odds for a feat humanity first pulled off nearly 60 years ago. The US remains the only country to have put humans on the lunar surface, most recently in 1972 with the Apollo 17 mission.

Persons: Odysseus, Luna, Ispace, Japan —, hasn’t, Scott Pace, George Washington, “, ” Pace, Artemis, ”, Greg Autry, “ There’s, India’s, Jitendra Singh, Satish, Satish Baby, ” Singh, Astrobotic, Steve Altemus, it’s, Glynn Lunney, ” Autry, “ Neil, Armstrong, “ We’ve, Joel Kearns Organizations: CNN, Technology, Policy Institute, ”, Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management, State for Science, Indian Space Research Organisation, Space, Getty, Economic Times, NASA, Payload Services, Johnson Space Center, AP Locations: United States, Houston, Japan, Soviet, States, China, India, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, AFP, New York, Los Angeles, what's

☆ Moon company Intuitive Machines begins first mission after SpaceX launch
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander launched from Florida on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, beginning the IM-1 mission. Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander "Odysseus" deploys from the upper stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket to begin the IM-1 mission. NASA leadership emphasized before the launch that "IM-1 is an Intuitive Machines' mission, it's not a NASA mission." After landing, Intuitive Machines aims to operate Odysseus on the surface for up to seven days. Last month, U.S. company Astrobotic got its first moon mission off the ground but encountered problems shortly after launch.

Persons: Paul Hennessy, Trent Martin, Odysseus, it's, Joel Kearns, Kearns, Russia —, ispace, Astrobotic, didn't Organizations: SpaceX, Kennedy Space Center, Anadolu, Getty Images, Machines, SpaceX's, NASA, Payload, Artemis, Nasdaq, Marshall Space, Center, Soviet Union —, U.S Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, Getty Images Texas, U.S, Florida, United States, Wednesday's, Japan, Russia, Soviet Union, China, India

☆ US moon landing: Second NASA-backed company aims for lunar landing attempt
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It will amount to “a high-energy fastball pitch towards the moon,” as Intuitive Machines CEO Stephen Altemus put it. Once in Earth’s orbit, the lunar lander will separate from the rocket and begin venturing on its own, using an onboard engine to boost itself on a direct trajectory toward the lunar surface. Founded in 2013, Intuitive Machines will be the second of the CLPS program participants — after Astrobotic — to attempt a moon landing. If all goes according to plan, Odysseus will spend seven days operating on the moon as the lunar lander basks in the sun. Altemus estimates that Intuitive Machines has about an 80% chance of safely landing Odysseus on the moon.

Persons: Odysseus, Odie, Stephen Altemus, Peregrine, Chandan Khanna, CLPS, ”, Joel Kearns, Astrobotic —, Jeff Koons —, —, “ We’ve, who’s, Odysseus ’, Altemus, “ It’s, ” Altemus Organizations: CNN, NASA, SpaceX, Technology, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Payload, “, Columbia, United States, Peregrine Locations: United States, Cape Canaveral , Florida, Houston, Pittsburgh, Cape, China, India, Japan, British, Russia

☆ After Peregrine failed to land on the moon, Astrobotic still plans to launch another lunar lander in November
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This month, Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander failed to reach the moon due to a fuel leak. Despite the setback, Astrobotic plans to launch a second lunar lander in November. AdvertisementEarlier this month, the space company Astrobotic launched its Peregrine mission toward the moon, but the spacecraft never made it and ultimately burned up in Earth's atmosphere. During Astrobotic's first press conference since its failed Peregrine mission, the company's CEO, John Thornton, said Astrobotic is more excited than ever to attempt to send another lunar lander to the moon. AdvertisementAn illustration showing Astrobotic's Griffin moon-landing system deploying NASA's VIPER ice-hunting robot to the lunar surface.

Persons: Astrobotic, —, Astrobotic's, Peregrine, John Thornton, Thornton, it's, Griffin, that's, Astrobotic's Griffin, Joel Kearns, Kearns, hadn't, NASA hasn't Organizations: Service, Peregrine, Astrobotic's, NASA, NASA NASA, Payload Locations: NASA's

☆ American Company’s Moon Lander Disintegrates in Earth’s Atmosphere
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Kenneth Chang | More About Kenneth Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A spacecraft that was headed to the surface of the moon has ended up back at Earth instead, burning up in the planet’s atmosphere on Thursday afternoon. But the spacecraft never got close to its landing destination on the near side of the moon. The main payloads on the spacecraft were from NASA, part of an effort to put experiments on the moon at a lower cost by using commercial companies. Astrobotic’s launch was the first in the program, known as Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS. NASA paid Astrobotic $108 million to transport five experiments.

Organizations: Astrobotic Technology, Pittsburgh, NASA, Payload Services

☆ The doomed US moon lander is on a collision course with Earth and will be destroyed to protect other satellites
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewThe doomed US lunar lander is on a collision course with Earth and will be destroyed early to protect other satellites that may get in its way. "Our latest assessment now shows the spacecraft is on a path towards Earth, where it will likely burn up in Earth's atmosphere," Astrobotic, the company behind the Peregrine lander, said on Saturday. AdvertisementA ULA Vulcan rocket launches into space on Monday, carrying the Peregrine Mission One lunar lander. This is standard practice when decommissioning a ship orbiting the Earth and Astrobotic expects this will not pose a safety risk. The Peregrine lander aboard the Centaur Vulcan rocket ahead of launch.

Persons: —, Astrobotic, Peregrine, Astrobotic Astrobotic, John Thornton, Thornton Organizations: Service, Business, Peregrine, Apollo, NASA, Payload Locations: Pittsburgh, Houston

☆ Peregrine lunar lander to make fiery reentry after failed misison
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

For the vast majority of the mission, the Peregrine lander has been controlled solely by its attitude control thrusters, which are tiny engines mounted to the side of the lander and designed to maintain stability or make precision movements. What Peregrine could and couldn’t accomplishAstrobotic was able to power on some of the science instruments and other payloads on board the lander. The Peregrine lander was also able to activate a new sensor, developed by NASA, that was designed to help the spacecraft land on the moon. Likewise, an array of other payloads designed specifically to operate on the moon remain trapped aboard the Peregrine lander. The Peregrine spacecraft is also carrying various mementos, letters and even human remains that customers paid to fly on the mission.

Persons: —, Peregrine’s, Peregrine, ”, John Thornton, Astrobotic, Joel Kearns Organizations: CNN, Payload Services, Astrobotic Technology, Peregrine, NASA, U.S . Government, LRA, Carnegie Mellon University, Mexican Space Agency Locations: Pittsburgh

☆ Astrobotic's lander might still travel far enough to reach the moon, but the moon won't be there
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The lander is still going, despite a fuel leak that dashed hopes of a soft moon landing, Astrobotic said. AdvertisementAstrobotic's lunar lander could still make it far enough to reach the moon — but the moon will be in the wrong place when it arrives. This means the lander could yet reach the lunar distance — the required number of miles to reach the moon. Astrobotic's Peregrine lander, seen here before launch. There are a slew of private lunar lander missions in the works.

Persons: Astrobotic, —, Peregrine, Astrobotic Astrobotic's, that's, Astrobotic's Peregrine Organizations: Service, NASA, Astrobotic's, Payload Locations: Houston

☆ The first US moon lander in more than 50 years launched with human remains on board, paving the way for space burials
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Marianne Guenot | Jessica Orwig | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewA US spacecraft carrying human remains launched on Monday in a bid to become the first private mission to land on the moon. "Unfortunately, it appears the failure within the propulsion system is causing a critical loss of propellant," the company that built the lunar lander, Astrobotic, said in an update Monday afternoon. AstroboticSeveral capsules on board the lander are part of a memorial service offered by private companies Celestis and Elysium Space. The screenwriter was also part of the first human "space burial" in 1992 when his ashes were put aboard NASA's spacecraft Columbia. Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One is the first of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)-backed missions to launch.

Persons: —, Peregrine, John Thornton, Celestis, Gene Roddenberry, Majel Barrett, George Washington, Dwight Eisenhower, John F, Kennedy, — Arthur C Clarke, Stanley Kubrick, Gene Roddenberry's, Thornton, Mr, Peregrine isn't, Astrobotic, landers, Artemis Organizations: Service, Business, Astrobiotic, United Launch Alliance, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Peregrine, NASA, United Launch Alliance Vulcan, New York Times, Navajo Nation, The New York Times, Houston, Payload Locations: Cape, Florida, Navajo, Stickiness, Russia, India, China

☆ Investing in Space: Japan's ispace opens Denver headquarters as companies chase moon market
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-28 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The Earth rises above the surface of the moon, as seen from the company's lander in lunar orbit in April 2023. CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. One company is pushing to tap two of those markets: Tokyo-based lunar lander company ispace is rebooting its U.S. subsidiary, aiming to be a key transportation provider in the nascent moon business. The new Apex 1.0 lander is replacing its previously planned "Series 2" lander, Garan said. We haven't really demonstrated the ability to take commercial payloads to the lunar surface.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, April's crunching, Ron Garan, Garan's, ispace, Garan, We're, haven't, they're Organizations: CNBC's, NASA, Apex, ispace, U.S ., Payload Services Locations: China, India, Japan, United States, Tokyo, Denver , Colorado, U.S, ispace U.S, Denver

☆ India's moon landing made history at a low cost
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

ISROThe list is grim reading: Stuck, failed, missed, failed, failed, stuck, failed, crashed, missed, crashed, crashed. Even in the modern era — with nine lunar landing attempts since 2013 — the track record is still shaky. Before India's success Wednesday, missions by China, India, Israel, Japan and Russia were three for eight in the past decade. School students watching the live telecast of Chandrayaan-3 landing on the Moon at Sector 20 Brahmananda Public School on August 23, 2023 in Noida, India. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of India's moon landing is the shoestring budget — by government standards — with which the country achieved the mission.

Persons: Jonathan McDowell, Sunil Ghosh, Jim Bridenstine, Bridenstine, They've, who's Organizations: ISRO, Soviet Union's, Harvard - Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Gravity, India, School, Hindustan Times, NASA, CNBC, Indian Space Research Organization, U.S, Payload Services, Space Foundation Locations: China, India, Israel, Japan, Russia, Noida, U.S, India's, United States

☆ The moon is open for business, and entrepreneurs are racing to make billions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

"Definitely the moon is going to be a big business," said Prachi Kawade, a senior analyst at NSR, a research-and-consulting company focused on the space market. At first, lunar missions could be limited to a couple of weeks or months in a lunar base camp. Another lead for moon mining is the rare-earth elements that millennia of meteorites crashing into the moon may have left behind. Fly me to the moonHowever, the most lucrative part of the moon market by far is rocket development, said Kawade, who leads NSR's lunar-market report. NASA built its own system for its upcoming Artemis moon missions, the Space Launch System (SLS) mega-rocket with its Orion spacecraft.

Persons: Artemis, Brendan Rosseau, Lockheed Martin, Prachi Kawade, that's, Rosseau, Steve Creech, Creech, Kawade, NASA We're, George W, Bush, Rousseau, landers, Per, NASA's, NASA Ames, Daniel Rutter, Elon Musk's, Artemis III, Musk, NASA isn't, Glenn, III, VIII, Bill Nelson, Svetla Ben, Itzhak, Ben Organizations: NASA, Service, Harvard Business School, SpaceX, Origin, Nokia, Lockheed, General Motors, NSR, Apollo, ESA, Payload, Astrobotic Technology, Rover, Exploration Rover, Polar Resources, Mining, Orion, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX, Politico, Artemis, China, Air University Locations: Wall, Silicon, China, Pittsburg, Texas, California, Colorado, Japan, Russia, Latin America, Central Asia, Pakistan

☆ NASA awards Firefly Aerospace $112 mln contract for far-side moon lander
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 14 (Reuters) - NASA on Tuesday said it had picked U.S. rocket builder Firefly Aerospace to put a lander on the moon's far side in 2026, under a nearly $112 million contract. "The commercial lander will deliver two agency payloads, as well as communication and data relay satellite for lunar orbit, which is an ESA (European Space Agency) collaboration with NASA," the U.S. space agency said. NASA handed a similar award of $73 million to spacecraft software firm Draper last year to deliver science and technology payloads to the far side of the moon in 2025. NASA awarded Cedar Park, Texas-based Firefly $93.3 million in 2021 to carry a suite of 10 science investigations and technology demonstrations to the moon in 2023. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju SamuelOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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