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Masten's lunar lander (imagined)

　　recently, Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic announced the acquisition of Masten Space Systems (Masten Space Systems), which filed for bankruptcy protection at the end of July, the latter is National Airlines. One of the contractors for NASA's lunar missions. Some future Masten employees will continue to work at the company's headquarters in Mojave, California, conducting research on suborbital flights while continuing to develop the Xogdor rocket.

　　Before Masten filed for bankruptcy protection, NASA handed over the mission to the two companies to send robotic payloads to the moon. Like Masten, Astrobotic is also developing lunar robots under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

　　It's unclear what will happen to Masten's $75.9 million CLPS contract with NASA; NASA sources have previously said that if Masten is unable to carry out the mission, they will transfer the payload planned on its lander to other CLPS missions. In a recent press release, Astrobotic highlighted the value of Masten's vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) technology and propulsion technology, and said the company's suborbital flight research efforts will continue.

　　Astrobotic said on Sept. 13: "The combined company will continue to conduct suborbital flight operations at Masten's Proving Ground in Mojave, with plans to continue to serve as a key rocket fire test site for the aerospace industry. "

　　In August, Masten filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the Delaware District Federal Bankruptcy Court. The court reportedly accepted a $4.5 million “high price” submitted by Astrobotic on Sept. 11, allowing it to acquire “substantially all” of Masten’s assets. In the auction, Masten received two bids from lunar lander developer Intuitive Machines and space transportation company Impulse Space, but those bids were lower than Astrobotic's bid.

　　Astrobotic highlights Masten's heritage in vertical takeoff and vertical landing technology, including winning first prize in the Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander X Challenge in 2009. Astrobotic wrote: "This recognition sets the stage for Masten's one-of-a-kind VTOL flight program, which has demonstrated industry-leading landing accuracy and rapid repeatability in more than 600 VTOL flights to date. "

　　Astrobotic also praised Masten's Xogdor rocket, which it says "provides a payload for current and future lunar and interplanetary missions," including Astrobotic's OPAL Terrain Relative Navigation System. Astrobotic said it plans to develop a new version of the Xogdor rocket that "will provide higher altitudes and longer mission times, as well as supersonic flight for suborbital load testing". In addition, the new Xogdor rocket will undergo additional testing on Masten's propulsion test bed for Astrobotic and its customers.

　　Masten's lunar technology supports NASA's Artemis lunar exploration program, which aims to send humans to the lunar surface and conduct permanent scientific exploration there, with the ultimate goal of The moon acts as a ladder to send humans to Mars. Masten's technologies appear to be seen as a "space technology portfolio," which Astrobotic promises to "continue to push forward," without providing further details.

The South Pole of the Moon is one of the targets of human missions and research activities on the Moon

　　Judging from previous reports, Masten's lunar technology involves lunar infrastructure construction, lunar night survival and lunar water harvesting. The company is also working with companies Lunar Outpost and Honeybee Robotics to develop a system that uses rockets to mine lunar water ice.

　　As planned for the CLPS mission for NASA, the XL-1 lander developed by Masten will be launched on a SpaceX rocket to a potentially water-ice-filled region of the moon's south pole. The lander will carry instruments used to measure and map temperature and radiation on the lunar surface to detect the presence of hydrogen or other gases that could indicate water. According to a recent update from Masten, the launch will be delayed by a year to November 2023 due to related supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

　　In August, NASA said lunar research deliveries "may be impacted by Masten's operations," and as a result, the agency is considering transferring its payloads to other CLPS missions. Masten was reportedly under significant financial pressure before filing for bankruptcy, leading it to lay off about 20 employees in June and furlough the rest.

　　David Masten, founder and CTO of Masten, said he will be joining Astrobotic. "This combined organization will allow us to continue to provide important services to our customers and help us have a greater impact on humanity's future in space," he said in Astrobotic's statement.