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As SpaceX’s Starship test program continues to gain momentum, the company has signed its second commercial deal to deliver payload to the Moon using the lunar lander version of the massive vehicle.
The spacecraft will deposit Lunar outpost The Colorado-based startup said the rugged spacecraft, called Eagle, will reach the moon’s surface by 2029. Justin Cyrus, CEO of Lunar Outpost, declined to provide other details about the mission, such as whether this will be a dedicated flight or Part of a rideshare, or the cost. It is also unclear how Starship will transport the vehicle, which looks like a small truck, from inside the vehicle to the surface.
The Lunar Outpost spacecraft’s ambitions got a big boost from NASA earlier this year when the space agency selected it, along with two other teams, for the initial phase of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) program. The three teams have been selected for a one-year contract to develop their rover concepts for potential use by astronauts under NASA’s Artemis program. The 12-month period will culminate in a subsequent competitive request for proposals, where the three companies will then compete for a demonstration task order.
The LTV program has the potential to be very profitable: The potential total value of task orders over the next 13 years is $4.6 billion, although the agency said that due to budget concerns, it is only selecting one provider.
Even if the team led by Lunar Outpost, which also includes Leidos, General Motors, Goodyear and MDA Space, is not selected by NASA, Cyrus said the company plans to move forward with developing the vehicle.
“Lunar Outpost Eagle is our flagship vehicle and will be the backbone for outposts on other planetary bodies,” Cyrus said in an email statement. “Our company has been focused on mobility since its inception, and the Lunar Terrain Vehicle accelerates our industry-leading capabilities that unlock a sustainable presence on the Moon and Mars.”
The startup also closed a Series A round for an undisclosed amount last month to support several initiatives, including vehicle development.
The new Starship cargo delivery deal follows a similar contract SpaceX struck last year with Venturi Astrolab — which is also leading a team selected under the LTV program — to deliver its rover to the lunar surface.
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