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Luxembourg, 14 July 2021. – Masten Space Systems, the Californian Moon and Mars mission specialist, will develop a positioning and navigation network for the Moon, the company said.
Masten was awarded a Phase II contract, through the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, “to develop and demonstrate a lunar positioning and navigation network prototype”, the company founded in 2004 said.
“With functionality similar to a Global Positioning System (GPS), the network will enhance cislunar security and awareness by enabling navigation and location tracking for spacecraft, assets, objects, and future astronauts on the lunar surface or in lunar orbit,” Masten said.
Completing Phase I, Masten already delivered the concept design for the network prototype; Phase II of the project is scheduled to be complete in 2023, it said.
“As one of the first commercial companies sending a lunar lander to the Moon, we’re in a unique position to develop and deploy a shared navigation system that can support other government and commercial missions and enable a thriving lunar ecosystem,” Masten’s CEO Sean Mahoney said. “We are literally blazing the trail with this effort, creating the pathway for regular, ongoing, and reliable access to the Moon.”
