Tag: CLPS
-
NASA Cancels $73M Draper CLPS Lunar Lander CP-12
NASA Cancels Draper’s $73M CLPS Mission — What Happened to CP-12? NASA has terminated a $73 million Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) task order with Draper after successive lander redesigns pushed the projected lunar landing to 2030 or 2031 — six years behind the original 2025 schedule. Of that $73 million, NASA confirmed it paid…
-
Voyager Wins $298M NASA Contract After Astrobotic Deal
Does Voyager’s $298M NASA Contract Validate the Astrobotic Acquisition? $298 million. That single NASA task order — awarded June 30, 2026, and announced publicly alongside the close of Voyager Technologies’ acquisition of Astrobotic Technology — may be the clearest signal yet that the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) pipeline is maturing into a real, recurring…
-
NASA Awards First Moon Base Contracts to Four Companies
Which Companies Won NASA’s First Moon Base Development Contracts? NASA awarded the first contracts for lunar base development to four companies on May 26, marking a significant expansion of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program beyond basic payload delivery to permanent infrastructure development. The contracts focus on lander and drone systems that will support…
-
Lunar Debris Now Exceeds 200 Pieces as Moon Mission Traffic Surges
How Much Lunar Debris Now Orbits and Litters the Moon? The Moon now harbors over 200 cataloged pieces of human-made debris across its surface and orbital environment, marking the first significant accumulation of space junk beyond Earth orbit. This debris field includes failed landers, spent upper stages, impact craters from intentional crashes, and scattered hardware…
-
KeyBanc Sets $27 Target for Intuitive Machines Stock
Why Did KeyBanc Boost Intuitive Machines Target Price 35%? KeyBanc Capital Markets raised its price target for Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR) to $27 per share, representing a 35% increase from the previous $20 target. The investment bank maintained its “Overweight” rating, citing accelerating revenue diversification beyond NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program and stronger-than-expected…
-
Rocket Lab Up 9%, Intuitive Machines 6% on NASA Contract Wave
Why Are Space Stocks Surging This Week? Space sector equities posted strong gains this week, with Rocket Lab USA climbing 9% and Intuitive Machines jumping 6% as investor confidence builds around NASA contract momentum and emerging commercial opportunities. The rally reflects growing institutional recognition of the sector’s transition from speculative to revenue-generating operations. Rocket Lab’s…
-
NASA EAGLE and FALCON Missions Target Commercial Earth Science
How Will NASA’s New Earth Science Missions Use Commercial Partners? NASA announced two Earth science mission concepts—EAGLE and FALCON—that will rely on commercial satellite platforms and Artemis Program exploration infrastructure to advance climate research while reducing development costs. The missions, unveiled during NASA’s March 24 “Ignition” event, represent a strategic shift toward leveraging existing commercial…
-
Impulse Space sets sights on the Moon with new Lunar Lander in development
Impulse Space, the innovative startup founded by SpaceX veteran Tom Mueller, has unveiled plans for a new lunar lander designed to deliver up to three tonnes of payload to the Moon’s surface. The announcement highlights the company’s ambition to fill a “critical gap” in lunar cargo capabilities, positioning it as a key player in the…
-
A Japanese lander crashed on the Moon after losing track of its location
A robotic lander developed by a Japanese company named ispace plummeted to the Moon’s surface Thursday, destroying a small rover and several experiments intended to demonstrate how future missions could mine and harvest lunar resources. Ground teams at ispace’s mission control center in Tokyo lost contact with the Resilience lunar lander moments before it was…
-
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 concludes successful, 14-day mission on the Moon
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander captures photo of its shadow on the Moon with the volcanic feature, Mons Latreille, visible on the top right side of the lunar surface. Image: Firefly Aerospace The journey of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander came to an end over the weekend. The 14-day operation on the surface of…