Moon Express
Intuitive Machines secures launch contract, wins lawsuit
Intuitive Machines, a company with a NASA contract to fly payloads to the moon in 2021, announced Oct. 2 it has signed a contract with SpaceX for the launch of its lunar lander.
Companies skeptical commercial lunar landers can fly NASA payloads this year
As NASA selects payloads it plans to fly on commercial lunar landers, companies developing those spacecraft are skeptical any landers will be ready to fly this year, as the agency desires.
NASA selects nine companies for commercial lunar lander program
NASA has picked nine companies, ranging from startups to aerospace giants, to be eligible for future contracts to deliver payloads to the surface of the moon, but with no guarantee of business for any of them.
Moon Express issues stock to Intuitive Machines
Commercial lunar transportation firm Moon Express delivered 590,710 shares of stock worth an estimated $2.25 million to Intuitive Machines LLC, a firm with autonomous systems expertise, as ordered Oct. 15 by a federal judge in Delaware.
Moon Express raises $12.5 million
Moon Express, a former Google Lunar X Prize competitor developing commercial lunar landers, has raised $12.5 million to further development of its spacecraft for commercial and government customers.
Former Google Lunar X Prize teams focused on new commercial and government opportunities
Companies that one competed for the Google Lunar X Prize now expect to fly their first lunar landers in the next two years to serve the needs of commercial and government customers, including NASA.
Lunar X Prize competition to restart, without prize
Days after the decade-old Google Lunar X Prize competition expired without a winner, the X Prize Foundation announced it would “relaunch” the competition, albeit without a prize purse for now.
Jury awards Intuitive Machines $4.1 million in cash and Moon Express equity
A Delaware jury awarded $4.1 million in cash and Moon Express equity to Intuitive Machines, a Houston-based company Moon Express hired to write flight software and develop a terrestrial return vehicle for its commercial lunar transportation business.
X Prize teams plan to keep shooting for the moon
The finalists in the Google Lunar X Prize competition say they will continue efforts to send spacecraft to the moon despite the expiration of the prize in March.
Google Lunar X Prize to end without winner
The foundation running the Google Lunar X Prize announced Jan. 23 that the $20 million grand prize for a commercial lunar lander will expire at the end of March without a winner.
Moon Express and NanoRacks partner on lunar payloads
Commercial lunar lander company Moon Express announced an agreement with NanoRacks Oct. 10 to carry commercial payloads to the surface of the moon.
NASA preparing call for proposals for commercial lunar landers
NASA is preparing to release a solicitation for the commercial transportation of payloads to the lunar surface, the latest step in the agency’s efforts to help promote the development of commercial lunar landers.
Google Lunar X Prize teams get extra time to win competition
After months of stating that it would offer no further extensions of the Google Lunar X Prize competition, the X Prize Foundation announced Aug. 16 it was effectively giving the five remaining teams a little extra time.
Moon Express releases details of its lunar lander missions
Moon Express, a company developing commercial lunar landers, said July 12 its first mission is still on schedule to launch by the end of this year in a bid to win the Google Lunar X Prize.
Moon Express fully funded for Google Lunar X Prize bid
Moon Express announced Jan. 13 that it has closed a $20 million financing round, giving the company sufficient funds for an attempt to win the Google Lunar X Prize later this year.
NASA seeks concepts for commercial lunar lander instruments
NASA announced Nov. 1 that it is seeking information regarding instruments that could be flown to the moon on future commercial spacecraft.
Moon Express wins U.S. government approval for lunar lander mission
Moon Express said Aug. 3 that it has won a first-of-its-kind regulatory approval from the U.S. government for a commercial lunar lander the company is developing.
Moon Express takes over Cape Canaveral Delta 2 launch site
Moon Express, a Florida company developing commercial lunar landers, announced July 12 an agreement with the U.S. Air Force to take over a former Delta 2 launch site at Cape Canaveral.
Moon Express proposes alternate approach for lunar mission regulatory approvals
Concerned that regulatory uncertainty could block its plans to launch a lunar lander mission next year, Moon Express has proposed an alternative approach for carrying out a required payload review that could keep its plans on schedule while a more permanent legislative solution is developed.
X Prize Verifies Moon Express Launch Contract
The X Prize Foundation announced Dec. 8 that it has verified a launch contract announced in October by Moon Express, making the company the second with an approved deal to participate in the $30 million Google Lunar X Prize competition to land spacecraft on the moon.
