Masten Space Systems

Last updated
Masten Space Systems
Company type Private
Industry Aerospace and defense
Founded2004
Defunct2022 (2022)
FateAcquired by Astrobotic
Headquarters Mojave, California
United States
Key people
Sean Mahoney, CEO
David Masten, CTO and Chairman
Reuben Garcia, Executive Manager of Landing Systems
Matthew Kuhns, Chief Engineer
ProductsSuborbital spacecraft
Space systems
Throttleable rocket engines
Rocket propulsion hardware
Reusable launch vehicles
ServicesRocket propulsion design and analysis
Space hardware tests
Concept demonstration
Vertical landing software
Number of employees
84 (2020)
Website masten.aero
Footnotes /references
The company's slogan is "We Fly"
A XA0.1E "Xoie" rocket on the competition-winning landing in the Lunar Lander Challenge at Mojave on 30 October 2009. Kluft-photo-MSS-Xoie-LLC-L2-landing-Img 1282.jpg
A XA0.1E "Xoie" rocket on the competition-winning landing in the Lunar Lander Challenge at Mojave on 30 October 2009.
A XA0.1B "Xombie" lander tethered flight test on 11 September 2009. Kluft-photo-Masten-Space-XA0.1B-Tethered-Flight-Sept-2009-Img 0267.jpg
A XA0.1B "Xombie" lander tethered flight test on 11 September 2009.

Masten Space Systems was an aerospace manufacturer startup company in Mojave, California (formerly in Santa Clara, California) that was developing a line of vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) rockets, initially for uncrewed research sub-orbital spaceflights and eventually intended to support robotic orbital spaceflight launches.

Contents

In 2020, NASA awarded Masten a contract for a lunar lander mission; NASA was to pay Masten US$75.9 million for Masten to build and launch a lander called XL-1 to take NASA and other customer payloads to the south pole of the Moon. Masten Mission One would have been Masten's first space flight; it was scheduled for launch in November 2023. [1]

The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 2022, [2] and was later acquired by Astrobotic Technology in September 2022. [3]

Overview

Masten Space Systems was a Mojave, California based rocket company that was developing a line of reusable VTVL spacecraft, and related rocket propulsion hardware.

Masten Space Systems competed in the NASA and Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge X Prize in 2009, winning the level one second prize of US$150,000 [4] [5] and the level two first prize of US$1,000,000. [6] [7] On 2 November 2009, it was announced that Masten Space Systems had won first place in the level two category, with Armadillo Aerospace coming in second. [8] [9]

Masten Space Systems was selected for the Lunar CATALYST initiative of the NASA on 30 April 2014. [10]

Masten was accepted to make a bid for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program on 29 November 2018. Masten proposed to NASA that Masten would develop a lunar lander called XL-1 to take scientific payload to the Moon. NASA accepted this proposal to be assessed, whether it would be developed or not, as part of the CLPS program. NASA would later choose which of the bids made for CLPS program by the various companies eligible to bid for CLPS the agency would eventually fund for development. [11]

On 8 April 2020, it was announced that NASA had selected Masten's CLPS bid to be developed. NASA awarded Masten a $75.9 million contract to build, launch, land and operate their XL-1 Moon lander. The lander would take payload from NASA and other customers to the south pole of the Moon. Masten Mission One, the first XL-1 lander, was scheduled for launch in November 2023. [1]

Masten Space Systems filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 28, 2022. [2] The company's assets were purchased for US$4.5 million by Astrobotic Technology on September 8, 2022, who continues to operate the company's test vehicles. [3] [12]

Xombie

Masten's Xombie (model XA-0.1B) won the US$ 150,000 second prize in the Level One competition of the Lunar Lander Challenge on 7 October 2009 with an average landing accuracy of 16 centimetres (6.3 in). [5]

The primary goal of these two airframes was to demonstrate stable, controlled flight using a GN&C system developed in-house at Masten. XA-0.1B originally featured four engines with 1,000 pounds-force (4 kN) thrust, but was converted in Spring 2009 to be powered by one engine of 750 pounds-force (3 kN) thrust. [13] By October 2009, the regeneratively cooled isopropyl alcohol and liquid oxygen rocket engine was running at around 900 pounds-force (4 kN). [14]

XA-0.1B, nicknamed "Xombie", first flew free of tether 19 September 2009, [15] and qualified for the Lunar Lander Challenge Level One second prize of $150,000 on 7 October 2009. [16]

In October 2016, NASA reported using Xombie to test the Landing Vision System (LVS), as part of the Autonomous Descent and Ascent Powered-flight Testbed (ADAPT) experimental technologies, for the Mars 2020 mission landing. [17]

As of 7 March 2017, Xombie had flown 224 times. [18]

Xoie

Masten's Xoie (model XA-0.1E) won the US$ 1,000,000 Level Two prize of the Lunar Lander Challenge on October 30, 2009. They beat Armadillo Aerospace by just a bit more than 24 inches (610 mm) of total landing accuracy, with an average accuracy of about 7.5 inches (190 mm) on the two landings in the round-trip competition flight. [7] [19]

Xoie had an aluminum frame and featured a version of Masten's 750 pounds-force (3 kN) thrust engine that produced around 1,000 pounds-force (4 kN) of thrust. "Xoie", as the craft was nicknamed, qualified for the Lunar Lander Challenge level two on October 30, 2009. [20]

Xaero

The Xaero reusable launch vehicle was a vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing (VTVL) [21] rocket which was being developed by Masten in 2010–2011. It was proposed to NASA as a potential suborbital reusable launch vehicle (sRLV) for carrying research payloads under NASA's Flight Opportunities Program (initially known as the Commercial Reusable Suborbital Research/CRuSR program), projecting 30 kilometres (19 mi) altitude in initial flights of five to six minutes duration, while carrying a 10 kilograms (22 lb) research payload. [21] It was propelled by the 1,150 pounds-force (5.1 kN)Cyclops-AL-3 rocket engine burning isopropyl alcohol and liquid oxygen. [22] [23]

The first Xaero test vehicle flew 110 test flights before being destroyed in its 111th flight. During the record-setting [24] flight on 11 September 2012, an engine valve stuck open during descent, and this was sensed by the control system. As designed, the flight termination system was triggered, destroying the vehicle before it could create a range safety problem. [25] The final test flight was intended to test the vehicle at higher wind loads and altitudes, flying to an altitude of one kilometer while testing the flight controls at the higher ascent and descent velocities before returning to a precise landing point. The ascent and initial portion of the descent was nominal, prior to the stuck throttle valve which resulted in the termination of the flight prior to the planned precision landing. [24]

Xaero-B

Xaero-B was a follow-up to Xaero with the ability to reach 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) altitude with engine on throughout. Xaero-B was between 15 and 16 feet tall where Xaero was 12 feet tall. Xaero-B performed hot-fire testing and test flights. [26] [27] It would have been used for the bulk of research flights up to initial altitudes between 20 kilometres (12 mi) to 30 kilometres (19 mi). [28] The vehicle has now been retired due to damage on a test flight in April 2017. It flew 75 times. [29]

Xodiac

The Xodiac was a VTVL rocket introduced in 2016. [26] [30] [31] It featured pressure-fed LOX/IPA propellant, and a regeneratively cooled engine. Flights could simulate landing on the Moon or Mars. [32] Video of Xodiac performing in-flight air flow tests Tuft strings. [33]

Xogdor

Xogdor was a VTVL vehicle that Masten planned to introduce in 2023. As the sixth VTVL testbed developed at Masten, Xogdor would have improved upon the work done with Xodiac and tested descent and landing technologies at speeds up to 447 mph (719 km/h). [34]

Xeus

Xeus (pronounced Zeus) was a vertical-landing, vertical-takeoff lunar lander demonstrator. Xeus consisted of a Centaur upper stage (from United Launch Alliance) with RL-10 main engine to which four Katana vertical thrusters have been added. Production Xeus was estimated to be able to land on the Moon with up to 14 tonnes (revised to 10 tonnes) payload when using the expendable version or 5 tonnes payload when using the reusable version. [35]

The damaged Centaur on the demonstrator Xeus limited it to Earth flights. The production versions would have to have been manufacturing fault free and certified for space operations. Human rating might also have been needed. United Launch Alliance, supplier of the Centaur, referred to Xeus as an abbreviation for eXperimental Enhanced Upper Stage. Further details of the proposed design were given in the paper "Experimental Enhanced Upper Stage (XEUS): An affordable large lander system". [36]

Each of the Katanas used on a Xeus lander were likely to produce 3,500 pounds-force (16 kN) when performing a horizontal touchdown. [37] In December 2012, Masten demonstrated their all-aluminum 2,800 pounds-force (12 kN) regeneratively-cooled engine, the KA6A. [38]

The talk in this video announced the Xeus and also showed NASA's Space Exploration Vehicle rover with its two astronauts as a possible payload for the XEUS. [35]

On 30 April 2014, the NASA announced that Masten Space Systems was one of the three companies selected for the Lunar CATALYST initiative. [10] NASA signed an unfunded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with Masten in September 2014. The SAA lasts until August 2017, has 22 milestones and calls for "End-to-end demonstration of hardware and software that enables a commercial lander on the Moon." [39]

In December 2015, United Launch Alliance (ULA) were planning to upgrade the XEUS's main body from a Centaur Upper Stage to the Advanced Cryogenic Evolved Stage (ACES) which they were developing, significantly increasing the payload. [40] [41] Masten Space intended to incorporate experience from developing the XL family of cargo landers into the XEUS family of landers. [42]

In August 2016, ULA's president and CEO said ULA intended to human rate both the Vulcan and ACES. [43]

XEUS was cancelled in July 2018. [44]

XL-1

The XL-1 was a small cargo lunar lander that Masten was developing as part of the Lunar CATALYST program (SAAM ID 18250). [10] [45] When powered by MXP-351 the XL-1 was designed to land 100 kilograms (220 lb) payloads onto the surface of the Moon. [46]

As of August 2017, Masten Space expected the XL-1 to have four main engines which were being prototyped on the XL-1T and a wet mass of about 2,400 kilograms (5,300 lb). [47] [42]

On 11 October 2016, Masten Space Tweeted a video showing the test firing of its new bi-propellant combination, internally called MXP-351. The test used an existing engine with an experimental injector, the first 'Machete', producing 225 pounds-force (1.00 kN) thrust. Development of their 3D printed regen lunar engine that would use MXP-351 to land on the Moon continued. As of March 2017, a 1,000 pounds-force (4.4 kN) thrust version of Machete for the terrestrial testbed of the lander, dubbed XL-1T, was being manufactured. [46] [48] [49] [50]

In October 2017, NASA extended the Lunar CATALYST agreement for 2 years. [51]

On 29 November 2018, it was announced that Masten was eligible to bid at a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract by NASA. [11] Should the proposal be accepted by NASA to be built, the landing to Moon would be no earlier than 2021. [52]

On 8 April 2020, NASA selected Masten to deliver eight payloads – with nine science and technology instruments – to the South Pole of the Moon in 2022 with the XL-1 lander. Masten would also operate the payloads, helping to lay the foundation for human expeditions to the lunar surface beginning in 2024. The payloads, which included instruments to assess the composition of the lunar surface, test precision landing technologies, and evaluate the radiation on the Moon, were being delivered under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative as part of the agency's Artemis program. The US$75.9 million award included end-to-end services for delivery of the instruments, including payload integration, launch from Earth, landing on the surface of the Moon, and operation for at least 12 days. The payloads had predominantly been developed through two recent NASA Provided Lunar Payloads (NPLP) and Lunar Surface Instrument and Technology Payloads (LSITP) solicitations. [53]

On 26 August 2020, Masten announced that the first XL-1 mission, Masten Mission One, would be launched by SpaceX, although it was not at the time publicly known which SpaceX launch vehicle it would fly on. [54]

On 23 June 2021, Masten announced that the launch of Masten Mission One had been delayed to November 2023 due to COVID-19 pandemic related issues. [1]

XL-1T

The XL-1T was a (T)errestrial technology and process demonstrator for the XL-1 and XEUS. A terrestrial flying test-bed was being used since lack of vehicle access to lunar landers after launch would make Masten's incremental design and test development methodology difficult and very expensive. Like the XL-1, the XL-1T was under development in partnership with NASA CATALYST (SAAM ID 18250). [47]

The XL-1T was expected to have a dry mass of 588.93 kg and a wet mass of 1270.68 kg which was less than the XL-1. The vehicle had 4 off Machete 4400 N main engines able to throttle between 25% and 100% (4:1). The propellant was MPX-351. Yaw and pitch were controlled by differential throttling. There were 4 off 22 N ACS thrusters to control roll. [47]

Many characteristics of the XL-1T were deliberately made similar to the XL-1. These included multi-engine architecture, avionics, software, fuel, movement of inertia, slosh management, and mission design tools. [47]

XS-1

Masten was awarded a US$3 million contract from DARPA to develop the XS-1 experimental spaceplane. [55] Project ended as DARPA awarded the Phase 2 to Boeing. [56]

Other products and services

In addition to its line of vehicles, Masten Space Systems was offering its internally developed igniters and engines commercially to interested and qualified parties. [57] Masten also had stated its intent at multiple conferences to participate in technology maturation and proof of concept projects.

Broadsword

Broadsword
25K Hotfire (480x320).png
A hotfire testing of 25,000 pounds-force (110 kN) liquid oxygen/liquid methane Broadsword thrust chamber on 30 September 2016.
Country of originUnited States
ManufacturerMasten Space Systems [58]
ApplicationTo provide a lower-cost reusable launch service for the CubeSat and smallsat launch market [58]
StatusPrototype [58]
Liquid-fuel engine
Propellant LOX [58] / Methane [58]
Performance
Thrust, vacuum35,000 pounds-force (160 kN) (estimate) [59]
Thrust, sea-level25,000 pounds-force (110 kN) [58]
Throttle rangeTo be determined
Specific impulse, sea-levelTo be determined
Dimensions
MeasurementTo be determined
LengthTo be determined
DiameterTo be determined
Dry weightTo be determined

Broadsword was a 25,000 pounds-force (110 kN) methane/liquid oxygen rocket engine Masten Space Systems was developing for the US government. Advanced manufacturing techniques would permit the engine to be used to provide a lower-cost reusable launch service for the growing CubeSat and smallsat launch market. [58] The prototype engine took 1.5 months to construct and was made of aluminium. The engine consisted of 3 parts that were bolted together. [18] The engine used an expander cycle [60] and was planned to produce 35,000 pounds-force (160 kN) with a bell extension in vacuum. [59]

The development of a technology demonstration unit was completed in September 2016. The hot-fire test campaign concluded with the demonstration of six successful engine starts.

As of 2017, a second development unit containing enhancements was being developed for NASA under the Tipping Point program with the aim of being flight qualified. [61] [ needs update ]

Cutlass

Cutlass
Country of originUSA
DateStart April 2016
ManufacturerMasten Space Systems [62]
ApplicationMars ascent engine with in-space propulsion capabilities [62]
Associated LV65,000 lbf + LOX/methane booster Broadsword engine for Xephyr [62]
StatusDevelopment put on hold [63]
Liquid-fuel engine
Propellant LOX [62] / Methane [62]
Performance
Thrust25,000 lbf (110 kN) [62]
Throttle rangeTo be determined
Specific impulse, vacuumTo be determined
RestartsYes
Dimensions
MeasurementTo be determined
LengthTo be determined
DiameterTo be determined
Dry weightTo be determined

Cutlass was a 25,000 pounds-force (110 kN) methane/liquid oxygen rocket engine Masten Space Systems was developing for the US government. Built using aluminium alloy via additive manufacturing techniques. [62] [64] Cutlass evolved into a low cost expendable upper stage engine using a gas generator cycle. A Phase 2 SBIR grant was not awarded so development was put on hold. [63]

Katana

Katana class engines were designed to produce up to 4,000 pounds-force (18 kN) of thrust and to be regeneratively cooled. They were designed for indefinite runtime and good throttle response. [65] A video of the all aluminium Katana KA6A Regen 2800 lbf engine's shake down test burning LOX/IPA (Isopropyl alcohol). [66]

Machete

Machete
Country of originUSA
ManufacturerMasten Space Systems [46]
ApplicationTo provide an additively manufactured bipropellant engine for the XL-1 lunar lander [46]
StatusPrototype [46]
Liquid-fuel engine
PropellantMXP-351 (bipropellant) [46]
Performance
Thrust1,000 pounds-force (4.4 kN) [46]
Throttle range4:1
Specific impulse, vacuum322 seconds
Specific impulse, sea-level180 seconds
RestartsYes
Dimensions
MeasurementTo be determined
LengthTo be determined
DiameterTo be determined
Dry weightTo be determined
Used in
XL-1T
References
References [47] [46]

Machete was the name for a family of throttleable rocket engine designs Masten Space Systems was developing to permit their XL-1 lunar lander to land on the Moon. The Machete rocket engines burned the nontoxic storable hypergolic propellant combination MXP-351. The first Machete had an experimental injector design that was used to test MXP-351 in 2016, producing a thrust of 225 lbf. As of March 2017, Masten was modifying the design to make the engines additively-manufactured with regeneratively-cooled thrust chambers. Machete engines were being scaled up to produce 1000 lb thrust for a terrestrial test-bed version dubbed (XL-1T). [46]

MXP-351

MXP-351 was Masten Space's internal name for a self-igniting bipropellant combination invented to fuel its small lunar landers. Unlike the traditional NTO/MMH bipropellant, the two propellant chemicals in MXP-351 were safer to handle because they are nontoxic. The bipropellant could also be stored at room temperatures, unlike liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. The hypergolic combination had an ISP of 322 seconds. The storage life of MXP-351 before use was undergoing long-term studies but was expected to be a few years. The reduced operation constraints might have permitted a reduction in recurring operating costs. [49] [46] [67] [68] [69]

Masten Space used similar precautions when handling MXP-351 to those used for HTP (High-Test Peroxide). These included wearing splash protection clothing plus a simple chemical respirator. [67] [70] They claimed that spills could be rectified by diluting with water and rinsing away. [46]

Masten Mission One

Masten Space Systems was to launch a lunar lander mission called Masten Mission One or MM1 in November 2023, using a SpaceX Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy launch vehicle. It was to have a suite of payloads for NASA. [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apollo program</span> 1961–1972 American crewed lunar exploration program

The Apollo program, also known as Project Apollo, was the United States human spaceflight program carried out by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which succeeded in preparing and landing the first men on the Moon from 1968 to 1972. It was first conceived in 1960 during President Dwight D. Eisenhower's administration as a three-person spacecraft to follow the one-person Project Mercury, which put the first Americans in space. Apollo was later dedicated to President John F. Kennedy's national goal for the 1960s of "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" in an address to Congress on May 25, 1961. It was the third US human spaceflight program to fly, preceded by the two-person Project Gemini conceived in 1961 to extend spaceflight capability in support of Apollo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apollo Lunar Module</span> NASA crewed Moon landing spacecraft (1969–1972)

The Apollo Lunar Module, originally designated the Lunar Excursion Module (LEM), was the lunar lander spacecraft that was flown between lunar orbit and the Moon's surface during the United States' Apollo program. It was the first crewed spacecraft to operate exclusively in the airless vacuum of space, and remains the only crewed vehicle to land anywhere beyond Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armadillo Aerospace</span> American aerospace startup company

Armadillo Aerospace was an aerospace startup company based in Mesquite, Texas. Its initial goal was to build a crewed suborbital spacecraft capable of space tourism, and it had also stated long-term ambitions of orbital spaceflight. The company was founded by John Carmack, co-founder and former chief technical officer of id Software.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar module</span> Lunar lander designed for human spaceflight

A lunar module is a lunar lander designed to allow astronauts to travel between a spacecraft in lunar orbit and the lunar surface. As of 2021, the Apollo Lunar Module is the only lunar module to have ever been used in human spaceflight, completing six lunar landings from 1969 to 1972 during the United States' Apollo program.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saturn IB</span> American rocket used in the Apollo program during the 1960s and 70s

The Saturn IB(also known as the uprated Saturn I) was an American launch vehicle commissioned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the Apollo program. It uprated the Saturn I by replacing the S-IV second stage, with the S-IVB. The S-IB first stage also increased the S-I baseline's thrust from 1,500,000 pounds-force (6,700,000 N) to 1,600,000 pounds-force (7,100,000 N) and propellant load by 3.1%. This increased the Saturn I's low Earth orbit payload capability from 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) to 46,000 pounds (21,000 kg), enough for early flight tests of a half-fueled Apollo command and service module (CSM) or a fully fueled Apollo Lunar Module (LM), before the larger Saturn V needed for lunar flight was ready.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Origin</span> American aerospace company

Blue Origin Enterprises, L.P., commonly referred to as Blue Origin is an American aerospace manufacturer, defense contractor, launch service provider and space technologies company headquartered in Kent, Washington, United States. The company makes rocket engines for United Launch Alliance (ULA)'s Vulcan rocket and manufactures their own rockets, spacecraft, satellites, and heavy-lift launch vehicles. The company is the second provider of lunar lander services for NASA's Artemis program and was awarded a $3.4 billion contract. The four rocket engines the company has in production are the BE-3U, BE-3PM, BE-4 and the BE-7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interorbital Systems</span>

Interorbital Systems (IOS) is an American company based in Mojave, California that specializes in the manufacturing of rockets and satellites. It was established in 1996 by Roderick and Randa Milliron. As of October 2023, the company is in development stage for three orbital launch vehicles: NEPTUNE, TRITON, and TRITON HEAVY.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar lander</span> Spacecraft intended to land on the surface of the Moon

A lunar lander or Moon lander is a spacecraft designed to land on the surface of the Moon. As of 2023, the Apollo Lunar Module is the only lunar lander to have ever been used in human spaceflight, completing six lunar landings from 1969 to 1972 during the United States' Apollo Program. Several robotic landers have reached the surface, and some have returned samples to Earth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exploration Systems Architecture Study</span> NASA study

The Exploration Systems Architecture Study (ESAS) is the official title of a large-scale, system level study released by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in November 2005 of his goal of returning astronauts to the Moon and eventually Mars—known as the Vision for Space Exploration. The Constellation Program was cancelled in 2010 by the Obama Administration and replaced with the Space Launch System, later renamed as the Artemis Program in 2017 under the Trump Administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar Lander Challenge</span> Competition funded by NASAs Centennial Challenges program

The Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge (NG-LLC) was a competition funded by NASA's Centennial Challenges program. The competition offered a series of prizes for teams that launch a vertical takeoff/vertical landing (VTVL) rocket that achieved the total delta-v needed for a vehicle to move between the surface of the Moon and its orbit. The multi-level competition was conducted by the X PRIZE Foundation, with sponsorship from the Northrop Grumman Corporation who ran the ongoing competition. The prize purses were paid by NASA. It was held annually at the X PRIZE Cup, making its debut at the 2006 Wirefly X PRIZE Cup in October, 2006, until 2009 when the prize purse was awarded to Masten Space Systems and Armadillo Aerospace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ares V</span> Canceled NASA rocket key to Project Constellation

The Ares V was the planned cargo launch component of the cancelled NASA Constellation program, which was to have replaced the Space Shuttle after its retirement in 2011. Ares V was also planned to carry supplies for a human presence on Mars. Ares V and the smaller Ares I were named after Ares, the Greek god of war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">VTVL</span> Method of takeoff and landing used by rockets; vertical takeoff, vertical landing

Vertical takeoff, vertical landing (VTVL) is a form of takeoff and landing for rockets. Multiple VTVL craft have flown. The most successful VTVL vehicle was the Apollo Lunar Module which delivered the first humans to the Moon. Building on the decades of development SpaceX's utilised the VTVL concept for its flagship Falcon 9 first stage, which is delivered over two hundred successful powered landings so far.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LK (spacecraft)</span> Soviet lunar module intended to be used in the Soviet lunar landing attempts

The LK was a lunar module developed in the 1960s as a part of several Soviet crewed lunar programs. Its role was analogous to the American Apollo Lunar Module (LM). Three LK modules, of the T2K variant, were flown without crew in Earth orbit, but no LK ever reached the Moon. The development of the N1 launch vehicle required for the lunar flight suffered setbacks, and the first Moon landings were achieved by US astronauts on Apollo 11. As a result, having lost the Space Race, both the N1 and the LK programs were cancelled without any further development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astrobotic Technology</span> American space robotics company

Astrobotic Technology inc., commonly referred to as Astrobotic is an American private company that is developing space robotics technology for lunar and planetary missions. It was founded in 2007 by Carnegie Mellon professor Red Whittaker and his associates with the goal of winning the Google Lunar X Prize. The company is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their first launch occurred on January 8, 2024, as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The launch carried the company's Peregrine lunar lander on board the first flight of the Vulcan Centaur rocket from Florida's Space Force Station LC-41. The mission was unable to reach the Moon for a soft or hard landing. On June 11, 2020, Astrobotic received a second contract for the CLPS program. NASA will pay Astrobotic US$199.5 million to take the VIPER rover to the Moon, targeting a landing in November 2024.

Moon Express is an American privately held company formed in 2010 by a group of Silicon Valley and space entrepreneurs. It had the goal of winning the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize, and of ultimately mining the Moon for natural resources of economic value. The company was not able to make a launch attempt to reach the Moon by March 31, 2018, the deadline for the prize.

Aircraft can have different ways to take off and land. Conventional airplanes accelerate along the ground until sufficient lift is generated for takeoff, and reverse the process to land. Some airplanes can take off at low speed, this being a short takeoff. Some aircraft such as helicopters and Harrier jump jets can take off and land vertically. Rockets also usually take off vertically, but some designs can land horizontally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lunar CATALYST</span>

The Lunar CATALYST initiative is an attempt by NASA to encourage the development of robotic lunar landers that can be integrated with United States commercial launch capabilities to deliver payloads to the lunar surface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Firefly Aerospace</span> American private aerospace company

Firefly Aerospace is an American private aerospace firm based in Cedar Park, Texas, that develops launch vehicles for commercial launches to orbit. The company completed its $75 million Series A investment round in May 2021, which was led by DADA Holdings. The current company was formed when the assets of the former company Firefly Space Systems were acquired by EOS Launcher in March 2017, which was then renamed Firefly Aerospace. Firefly's stated purpose is to increase access to space, similar to other private spaceflight companies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commercial Lunar Payload Services</span> NASA program contracting commercial transportation services to the Moon

Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) is a NASA program to hire companies to send small robotic landers and rovers to the Moon. Most landing sites are near the lunar south pole where they will scout for lunar resources, test in situ resource utilization (ISRU) concepts, and perform lunar science to support the Artemis lunar program. CLPS is intended to buy end-to-end payload services between Earth and the lunar surface using fixed-price contracts. The program was extended to add support for large payloads starting after 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artemis program</span> NASA-led lunar exploration program

The Artemis program is a Moon exploration program that is led by the United States' NASA and was formally established in 2017 via Space Policy Directive 1. The Artemis program is intended to reestablish a human presence on the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. The program's stated long-term goal is to establish a permanent base on the Moon to facilitate human missions to Mars.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Foust, Jeff (23 June 2021). "Masten delays first lunar lander mission". SpaceNews . Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 @jeff_foust (July 29, 2022). "Masten Space Systems filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Thursday" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  3. 1 2 "Court approves sale of Masten assets to Astrobotic". September 11, 2022.
  4. "Masten Space Systems Qualifies for Level One Prize in Lunar Lander Challenge". October 8, 2009.
  5. 1 2 "Masten and Armadillo Claim Lunar Lander Prizes". Centennial Challenges: NASA's Prize Program for the "Citizen Inventor". NASA. 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2011-03-10. In the Level One competition, Armadillo Aerospace previously claimed the first-place prize of $350,000 in 2008. Masten Space Systems qualified for the remaining second-place prize on 7 October 2009, with an average landing accuracy of 16 cm. There were no other qualifying Level One flight this year and so the Masten team will receive the second-place prize of $150,000.
  6. "Masten Qualifies for $1 Million Prize". October 30, 2009. Archived from the original on August 30, 2011. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  7. 1 2 "Masten and Armadillo Claim Lunar Lander Prizes". Centennial Challenges: NASA's Prize Program for the "Citizen Inventor". NASA. 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2011-03-10. With only a few days remaining in the 2009 competition period, Masten Space Systems of Mojave, California successfully met the Level Two requirements for the Centennial Challenges - Lunar Lander Challenge and by posting the best average landing accuracy, won the first-place prize of $1,000,000. The flights were conducted with their "Xoie" (XA-0.1E) vehicle on October 30 at the Mojave Air and Space Port. Armadillo Aerospace, the long-time leader in Lunar Lander Challenge efforts, was the first team to qualify for the Level Two prize with successful flights on Sept. 12 in Caddo Mills, Texas. The average landing accuracy determines which teams will receive first and second place prizes. The average accuracy for Armadillo Aerospace flights was 87 cm. but the Masten team achieved an accuracy of 19 cm, moving them into first place. Armadillo Aerospace will receive the $500,000 second-place prize.
  8. "NASA and X Prize Announce Winners of Lunar Lander Challenge" (Press release). NASA. 2009-11-02. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
  9. "X PRIZE Foundation and NASA Cap Amazing Lunar Lander Competition and Award $2 Million in Prizes" (Press release). X-Prize Foundation. 2009-11-02. Archived from the original on 2010-06-12. Retrieved 2009-11-02.
  10. 1 2 3 "RELEASE 14-126 NASA Selects Partners for U.S. Commercial Lander Capabilities". NASA.GOV website. NASA. April 30, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  11. 1 2 "NASA Announces New Partnerships for Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Services". NASA. 2018-11-29. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  12. Alamalhodaei, Aria (2022-09-13). "Astrobotic expands with acquisition of Masten Space Systems". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2023-01-25.
  13. Goff, Jonathan (April 17, 2009). "Post Space Access Technical Update". Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  14. Mealling, Michael (2009-09-08). "Masten Space Systems Successfully Completes Lunar Lander Challenge". Archived from the original on 2016-01-17. Retrieved 2015-06-15.
  15. Mealling, Michael (September 19, 2009). "First Successful Free Flight". Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  16. "Masten Space Systems Qualifies for Level One Prize in Lunar Lander Challenge". October 8, 2009.
  17. Williams, Leslie; Webster, Guy; Anderson, Gina (4 October 2016). "NASA Flight Program Tests Mars Lander Vision System". NASA . Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  18. 1 2 Renee Eng (April 7, 2017). "Masten Space Systems Wins NASA Contract". Spectrum News. Retrieved April 10, 2017.
  19. Paur, Jason (2009-11-04). "Xoie Claims $1 Million Lunar Lander Prize". Wired. Retrieved 2011-03-10. Leaving it to the last minute, the team from Masten Space Systems has made a come-from-behind effort to win the $1 million prize after successfully flying its lunar lander last week. The team flew a new ship, called Xoie, to qualify for level 2 of the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge… more than 1000 pounds of thrust… managed to make the round trip with an average landing accuracy of about 7.5 inches.
  20. "Masten Qualifies for $1 Million Prize; Unreasonable Rocket Completes 1st Attempt". October 30, 2009. Archived from the original on 3 November 2009.
  21. 1 2 "Flight Opportunities - Xaero". NASA. 2013-06-10. Archived from the original on 2013-04-26. Retrieved 2013-07-06.
  22. "Meet Xaero". 2010-12-06. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-06-15.
  23. "Suborbital Firms Have Mixed Results in Tests". Space News. 2011-07-05. Retrieved 2015-06-15.
  24. 1 2 Paur, Jason (2012-09-14). "Masten Space Systems Loses Rocket After Record Flight". Wired Magazine. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  25. Norris, Guy (2012-09-13). "Masten Xaero Destroyed During Test Flight". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on 2013-05-19. Retrieved 2012-09-16.
  26. 1 2 "Masten Space Systems Introduces Xodiac and XaeroB Next Generation Reusable Rockets". SpaceRef. 8 June 2016. Archived from the original on 2016-06-11. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  27. "Xaero B Rises". Masten - Blog. 18 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2013-11-11. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  28. Norris, Guy (Apr 10, 2013). "Masten Starts Xaero B Rocket Tests". Aviation Week. Retrieved 2016-06-09.
  29. Doug Messier (May 11, 2017). "Masten's Xaero-B Damaged in Flight Test". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  30. "Masten Unveils Two New Reusable Rockets". Popular Science. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  31. "Introducing Xodiac and XaeroB". Masten Space Systems. 2016-06-07. Archived from the original on 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  32. Doug Messier (18 February 2019). "Blue Origin, Masten Vehicles Drive the Highway to Space". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  33. "Xodiac Tuft Testing". You Tube. Masten Space. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  34. "Masten Kicks Off Development of Xogdor, our Newest Rocket with Supersonic Speed". Masten Space Systems. August 25, 2021. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  35. 1 2 Spacevidcast (April 8, 2012). "What if Apollo never happened? Episode 4". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  36. Scotkin, J.; Masten, D.; Powers, J.; O'Konek, N.; Kutter, B.; Stopnitzky, B. (2013). "Experimental Enhanced Upper Stage (XEUS): An affordable large lander system". 2013 IEEE Aerospace Conference. pp. 1–9. doi:10.1109/AERO.2013.6497179. ISBN   978-1-4673-1813-6. S2CID   24637553.
  37. Belfiore, Michale. "Video: moon landers advance at Masten Space". Michale Belfiore. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  38. Lindsay, Clark (2012-12-11). "Masten Space test fires new Katana engine" . NewSpace Watch. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
  39. Masten Space Systems Inc., NASA. "Space Act Agreement between NASA and Masten Space Systems for Lunar CATALYST" (PDF). www.nasa.gov. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  40. George Sowers (December 15, 2015). "Transportation Architecture for Cislunar Space" (PDF). www.ulalaunch.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 17, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  41. Barr, Jonathan (2015). ACES Stage Concept: Higher Performance, New Capabilities, at a Lower Recurring Cost (PDF). AIAA SPACE 2015 Conference & Exposition. American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. pp. 5, 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 September 2015. Retrieved 18 March 2016.
  42. 1 2 "XL1 / XL1T". Masten Space Systems. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  43. Tory Bruno. "@A_M_Swallow @ULA_ACES We intend to human rate Vulcan/ACES". Twitter.com. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  44. "Tory Bruno will be a guest on the Space Show July 23 at 2PM Pacific". Reddit.com. 23 July 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  45. Masten Space Systems. "1st order design model of our XL-1 lunar lander ACS thruster. 3D printed 1:1 scale 15N". Twitter. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  46. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Masten's Green Bipropellant: MXP-351". www.masten.aero. 23 March 2017. Archived from the original on 24 March 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
  47. 1 2 3 4 5 "XL-1T". Masten Space Systems. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved August 11, 2017.
  48. "Same run - different angle @NASAexplores #CATALYST (Side view of MXP-351 propellant test video)". Twitter. Masten Space. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  49. 1 2 "MXP-351 is our internal designation for the biprop combo. We intend to use this biprop with our small lunar landers". Twitter. Masten Space. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  50. "Sort of. We were testing the propellant combo and an injector design. The actual lunar engines are 3D printed and regen". Twitter. Masten Space. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  51. Erin Mahoney (2017-10-31). "NASA Extends Agreements to Advance Commercial Lunar Landers". NASA.GOV. Retrieved November 2, 2017.
  52. Colin Ake. "Blog - NASA Selects Masten for Moon Delivery". Masten Space website. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  53. "NASA Awards Contract to Deliver Science, Tech to Moon Ahead of Human Missions". www.nasa.gov. NASA. 8 April 2020. Retrieved 10 April 2020.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  54. SpaceX to Launch Masten Lunar Mission in 2022. Meagan Crawford, Masten Press Release. August 26, 2020.
  55. Masten Space Systems, Inc. award notice, US government document, June 27, 2014.
  56. Doug Messier. "DARPA Picks Boeing for XS-1 Program". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
  57. "Masten Space Systems Products". November 1, 2009. Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2009.
  58. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gina Anderson (February 22, 2017). "NASA Establishes New Public-Private Partnerships to Advance U.S. Commercial Space Capabilities". www.nasa.gov. NASA.
  59. 1 2 strangequark (April 26, 2017). "Masten Space Systems Update (thread)". NASA Space Flight. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  60. "Masten Achieves First Hot-Fire of Broadsword Rocket Engine". 30 September 2016.
  61. Doug Messier (May 12, 2017). "Masten Achieves First Hot-Fire of Broadsword Rocket Engine". Parabolic Arc. Retrieved May 12, 2017.
  62. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Masten Space Systems, Inc. "Additive Manufacturing Technology for a 25,000 lbf LOX/Methane Mars Ascent Engine". sibr.nasa.gov. NASA. Archived from the original on October 5, 2021. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  63. 1 2 strangequark (April 26, 2017). "Masten Space Systems Update (thread)". NASA Space Flight. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  64. David Masten. "@A_M_Swallow @rocketrepreneur @NASA @mastenspace and get a few Astros plus rocks off the surface too!". twitter.com. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  65. Colinake (May 21, 2012). "Katana First Fire". Masten Space Systems. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  66. "Katana KA6A Regen 2,800lbf Shakedown Test". YouTube.com. Mastenspace. Archived from the original on 2021-12-19. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  67. 1 2 "Theoretical Isp:322s vs 336 for NTO Both propellants nontoxic. Splash protection & simple chem respirator 2 handle". Twitter. Masten Space. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  68. "we have demonstrated a safer & easier to handle hypergolic alternative to NTO/MMH. We call it MXP-351". Twitter. Masten Systems. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  69. "That is a long-term study currently in progress. With a proper feed system in place, our current estimate is a few years". Twitter. Masten Space. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  70. "We use the same precautions as for handling HTP plus the addition of a simple chemical respirator". Twitter. Masten Space. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
External images
Video of MSS craft
Official MSS Youtube channel