GOLDEN, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lunar Outpost, the industry leader in lunar surface mobility, commercial space robotics and space resources, today announced it has raised a Series A funding round, co-led by Type One Ventures (investor in Argo Space and SpaceX) and Industrious Ventures (investors in Starfish Space, ICON, and Stoke Space). Other notable funds including Promus Ventures also participated. The funding will be used to support Lunar Outpost’s active programs, including its work with NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) contract, the Australian Government to progress the country’s space exploration, and the Luxembourg Space Agency to enhance operational viability on the Moon, cislunar space, and extreme conditions on Earth.
“The rise of reliable travel to the Moon is enabling an extended lunar presence and scalable commercialization, with efforts underway to leverage the Moon’s abundant resources and investors deploying more than $291 billion of private capital across the global sector since 2015,” said Justin Cyrus, founder and CEO of Lunar Outpost. “Working with leading commercial, government and research organizations, we’re seeing a momentous shift in the value chain in space. What once was NASA’s sole responsibility – R&D, Moon and Mars missions, infrastructure, and capital – is now supported and enabled by commercial companies. Alongside both public and private partners, Lunar Outpost is building infrastructure to make space accessible to all, and our latest funding allows us to make dependable, repeatable commercial access to the Moon, Mars, and other planetary bodies a reality.”
Lunar Outpost’s technology enables a sustainable human presence in space and demand for its mobility and robotics services spans beyond payload customers (i.e. utility, data, research) to include opportunities which expand access and innovation on the Moon for all. The company’s modular mobility and autonomous robotic systems, wrapped in a service-based business model, lower the cost to explore and build interplanetary infrastructure and harvest the vast resources of space. Since securing seed funding in 2022, Lunar Outpost has:
- Secured a NASA Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services Contract to develop a human-rated Moon rover as part of the agency’s Artemis campaign
- Awarded a STRATFI contract with SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force, to develop Lunar Outpost’s Mobile Autonomous Robotic Swarms software layer
- Booked its third, fully commercial lunar rover mission, further demonstrating the viability of the New Space economy
- Received grant funding from the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars Trailblazer Initiative, strengthening the international space relationship between the U.S. and Australia
- Announced a collaboration with Castrol, which will serve as the lead Mission Control Center collaborator for Lunar Outpost’s upcoming Lunar Voyage 1
- Delivered multiple spaceflight rovers to its customers, fully equipped and ready for upcoming lunar missions
- Integrated three cutting-edge payloads from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) into Lunar Outpost’s Lunar Voyage 1 Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover
- Expanded its offices to Australia and Europe, with corporate headquarters in Golden, Colorado and a team of more than 100 employees globally
“The momentum Lunar Outpost has achieved in just two years is a testament to the team’s unmatched expertise in advanced spacecraft and robotics solutions, and commitment to driving cislunar innovation forward,” said Tarek Waked, Founding Partner at Type One Ventures and Lunar Outpost Board Member. “The innovative technology and services Lunar Outpost provides – along with their partnerships with major space agencies, governmental bodies and Fortune 500 companies – are vital for establishing an interplanetary presence and realizing the full potential of the New Space economy.”
Mason Angel, co-founder and Partner at Industrious Ventures, added, “Until now, commercial payloads have largely served as critical technology demonstrations, reserved solely for exploratory NASA missions. Lunar Outpost is ushering in a new era by enabling any company or nation to reserve payload space and safely access the lunar surface for commercial pursuits. With several lunar missions already scheduled, Lunar Outpost’s mobility and robotic systems will provide a critical workforce to enable the next phase of lunar exploration and in due course commercialization of the moon.”
Lunar Outpost has multiple missions to the Moon, with the first voyage heading to the Lunar South Pole as part of Intuitive Machine’s IM-2 mission. This mission will include the operation of the first commercial rover on another planetary body and complete the first sale of space resources in human history. For more information on Lunar Outpost, including partnership and payload reservation opportunities, visit www.lunaroutpost.com.
About Lunar Outpost
Lunar Outpost is the industry leader in space robotics, planetary mobility, and space resources. We are on a mission to enable an extended human presence in space and harness the vast resources in space to drive positive impact on Earth. With multiple rovers headed to the Moon for exploration and infrastructure development, and technologies creating oxygen on Mars, our impact spans the solar system. Lunar Outpost’s mobility and robotic systems, from the exploration-class Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover to Lunar Outpost Eagle, our truck-sized industrial Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), are set to power the New Space economy. Through innovation and key partnerships, Lunar Outpost delivers value to humanity, both in space and on Earth.
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