.@LunarOutpostInc said it'd collect lunar material for @NASA for $1 after the arrival of @blueorigin's #BlueMoon lander at the moon's south polar region in 2023.
Breaking News: Masten is officially in the Lunar Regolith Sales business.
In case there is any doubt: the lasting impact of todays news that NASA is purchasing Moon Dirt from Masten is about knocking down uncertainty & risks that make economic activity beyond earth too risky to act upon. By leading the way, NASA clears the path for industry to follow
The Masten Team is thrilled to help flip the NPV analysis for off-planet economic activity.(Net Present Value - The financial analysis of a project factoring in all the cash flows and risks over time, converted into today's dollar. Positive values are worth investment.)
Today's Lunar Regolith Purchase is small measured in dollars, but monumental measured in impact on unlocking the value of space for humanity. Thank you to @NASA and the leadership of Mike Gold, Phil McAlister, and all of the folks supported by @JimBridenstine
NASA says they received 22 proposals overall from 16-17 different companies.Each company will get 10% at time of award, so, yes, Lunar Outpost (the $1 bidder), gets a check for 10¢.
NASA selects 3 companies for Artemis-related missions to collect material on the surface of the Moon. The companies and their proposed mission costs to NASA:Lunar Outpost - $1ispace - 2 missions at $5,000 each Masten Space - $15,000
Of the 22 proposals, 14 of them were deemed not acceptable for either cost or technical reasons. The request for quotations set a goal of collecting the samples by 2024 (the winning selections proposed missions in 2022 and 2023.)
NEW: We've selected the companies that will collect resources from the Moon, building knowledge for #Artemis and future missions to Mars. They are:@LunarOutpostInc of Colorado@MastenSpace of California@ispace_inc of Europe@ispace_inc of Japan
McAlister and Mike Gold say they saw no reason not to allow non-US bids. Bolsters policy goal of US leadership in space resources and need for partnerships. Signing Artemis Accords was not a requirement. [Though both Japan and Luxembourg have signed.]
NASA administrator @JimBridenstine: @NASA selects @ispace_inc Europe to Collect Lunar Resources for Artemis Demonstrations! “We’re excited for a Luxembourg company to be part of this trailblazing activity!” Congratulations! Learn more
Media teleconference on lunar sample collection (has just started):
Dec. 3, 2020RELEASE 20-118NASA Selects Companies to Collect Lunar Resources for Artemis DemonstrationsNASA has selected four companies to collect space resources and transfer ownership to the agency: Lunar Outpost of Golden, Colorado; Masten Space Systems of Mojave, California; ispace Europe of Luxembourg; and ispace Japan of Tokyo. Overall, the new NASA contracts with these companies totals $25,001.Space resources will play a key role in NASA’s Artemis program and future space exploration. The ability to extract and use extraterrestrial resources will ensure Artemis operations can be conducted safely and sustainably in support of establishing human lunar exploration. Moreover, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) will play a vital role in a future human mission to Mars. Like many other operations, ISRU activities will be tested and developed on the Moon, building the required knowledge to implement new capabilities that will be necessary to overcome the challenges of a human mission to Mars.“These awards expand NASA’s innovative use of public-private partnerships to the Moon. We’re excited to join with our commercial and international partners to make Artemis the largest and most diverse global human space exploration coalition in history,” said Mike Gold, NASA’s acting associate administrator for international and interagency relations. “Space resources are the fuel that will propel America and all of humanity to the stars.”A great deal of work remains to be done to develop robust ISRU capabilities. Both robotic and human explorers will test new technologies and techniques.“Leveraging commercial involvement enhances our ability to safely return to the Moon in a sustainable, innovative, and affordable fashion,” said Phil McAlister, director of Commercial Spaceflight Development at NASA Headquarters. “A supportive policy for the recovery and use of space resources provides a stable and predictable investment environment for commercial space innovators and entrepreneurs.”Companies will collect a small amount of lunar regolith from any location on the Moon and provide imagery to NASA of the collection and the collected material, along with data that identifies the collection location. Subsequent to receiving such imagery and data, an “in-place” transfer of ownership of the lunar regolith to NASA will take place. After ownership transfer, the collected material becomes the sole property of NASA for the agency’s use under the Artemis program.NASA solicited fixed price quotes using simplified acquisition procedures and selected companies using the “low-priced, technically acceptable” selection method. The agency evaluated quotes and assigned a pass-fail rating based on their ability to satisfactorily meet the requirements of the solicitation. Companies were then selected from the acceptable proposals, in accordance with the agency’s available budget, starting with the lowest-priced proposals. Details about the selection are:Lunar Outpost proposed collection for $1 following arrival of a lander to the lunar South Pole in 2023.ispace Japan proposed collection for $5,000 following arrival in 2022 of a lander to Lacus Somniorum on the Moon’s northeastern near side.ispace Europe proposed collection for $5,000 following arrival in 2023 of a lander to the lunar South Pole.Masten Space Systems proposed collection for $15,000 following arrival in 2023 of a lander to the lunar South Pole.Companies will receive 10% of their total proposed price upon award, will receive 10% upon launch, and the remaining 80% upon successful completion. NASA’s payment is exclusively for the lunar regolith. The agency will determine retrieval methods for the transferred lunar regolith at a later date.Companies must take all actions to perform the contracts in full compliance with the Registration Convention, Article II, and other provisions of the Outer Space Treaty, as well as in accordance with NASA’s other relevant international obligations. NASA will continue to publicly release data and scientific discoveries gained through safe and sustainable lunar exploration to benefit all of humanity.-end-
NASA said $1 bidder Lunar Outpost will fly on a 2023 Blue Origin mission, but Jeff Bezos' company said that's inaccurate.Lunar Outpost's CEO clarified: They're in talks for a ride with Blue Origin – as well as Intuitive Machines, Masten & Lockheed Martin
Congratulations to all of the companies receiving awards to collect lunar resources. Extracting and utilizing such resources will help ensure the sustainability of the Artemis program and space exploration generally while creating a new commercial market.
This entire thing perplexes me. What do the bidding companies get out of this? Why did NASA have to down select any companies - why not accept all 16 or so entries? I mean, the up front cost to NASA is, er, rather small. 10% of $1 to one company probably won’t hurt too much - Boeing can still get paid :-). I mean, would be highly improbable that all 16 would make it past the first 10% payment. Did they simply pick the four cheapest entries?
It's not about acquiring samples. It's about establishing a legal precedent. 25K is plenty.
