NASA Advances Artemis Program with Payload Delivery Contract
Masten Space Systems will deliver science and technology to the Moon ahead of human missions.
NASA has selected Masten Space Systems of Mojave, Calif., to deliver and operate eight payloads—with nine science and technology instruments—to the Moon’s South Pole in 2022 to help lay the foundation for human expeditions to the lunar surface beginning in 2024. The payloads, which include instruments to assess the composition of the lunar surface, test precision landing technologies, and evaluate the radiation on the Moon, are being delivered under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative as part of the agency’s Artemis program. As the country and the world face the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, NASA is leveraging virtual presence and communications tools to safely make progress on these lunar exploration activities and to award this lunar surface delivery as it was scheduled prior to the pandemic.
“Under our Artemis program, we are going to the Moon with all of America,” said Jim Bridenstine, NASA administrator. “Commercial industry is critical to making our vision for lunar exploration a reality. The science and technology we are sending to the lunar surface ahead of our crewed missions will help us understand the lunar environment better than we ever have before. These CLPS deliveries are on the cutting edge of our work to do great science and support human exploration of the Moon. I’m happy to welcome another of our innovative companies to the group that is ready to start taking our payloads to the Moon as soon as possible.”