Author Topic: Moon Express MX-1  (Read 108786 times)

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #160 on: 12/20/2017 03:09 pm »
Moon Express are considering lunar orbital mission first, depends on Electron performance and customer payloads.

There are some pluses to orbital mission even if it isn't as exciting. Will prove MX E1 endurance, which is critical for Mars moons or Asteriod missions. Mars moons are definitely in MX 2 capabilities but will need LauncherOne. At estimated $20m for lander and launch, its cheap ride to Phobos or Deimos for NASA.

Offline Oumuamua

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #161 on: 01/29/2018 08:19 pm »
A lawsuit backfired badly for moon express:
http://spacenews.com/jury-awards-intuitive-machines-4-1-million-in-cash-and-moon-express-equity/

This looks bad even not taking the financial implications into account. Apparently they ordered the return vehicle and software from intuitive machines, but one has to wonder what the status of the hard and sofware is after all the fighting, apparently IM stopped work at some point as ME failed to pay. They might not need all of this for the upcoming missions, but I would not expect ME to launch anything soon..
« Last Edit: 01/29/2018 09:08 pm by Oumuamua »

Offline Space Ghost 1962

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #162 on: 01/29/2018 09:40 pm »
Looks like part of the compensation in the deal was equity, possibly a debt/equity conversion deal.

In finding for the defendant in the counterclaim against the plaintiff in the original suit, jury likely decided the merits included all that the contract was due as damages award, thus the peculiar award. Also, this kind of situation isn't one likely to go well on appeal.

We don't know in these reports the scope of assistance to the plaintiff, so we don't know the extent of injury to its mission(s).

Offline A_M_Swallow

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #163 on: 01/29/2018 11:10 pm »
Although Moon Express had its own flight software NASA is now providing the Core Flight System software. See Article 9H3d of the Space Act Agreement.
See the SAA
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/lunar-catalyst-saa-amendment-moon-express-28sep2017.pdf

Offline ringsider

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #164 on: 01/31/2018 05:32 am »
A lawsuit backfired badly for moon express:

http://spacenews.com/jury-awards-intuitive-machines-4-1-million-in-cash-and-moon-express-equity/

This looks bad even not taking the financial implications into account. Apparently they ordered the return vehicle and software from intuitive machines, but one has to wonder what the status of the hard and sofware is after all the fighting, apparently IM stopped work at some point as ME failed to pay. They might not need all of this for the upcoming missions, but I would not expect ME to launch anything soon..

Not sure what else people expect from someone with the track record of Naveen Jain:-

https://techcrunch.com/2008/05/29/naveen-jains-intelius-prepares-to-go-public-how-much-of-their-revenue-is-a-scam/

https://www.seattletimes.com/business/dot-con-job-how-infospace-took-its-investors-for-a-ride/
« Last Edit: 01/31/2018 05:40 am by ringsider »

Offline gongora

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #165 on: 03/29/2018 01:06 am »
Tweet from Moon Express:
Quote
We have a multi-launch contract with Rocket Lab for the MX-1 with maiden flight likely in 2019. MX-2, 5 & 9 are designed for larger launch systems.
« Last Edit: 03/29/2018 01:07 am by gongora »

Offline john smith 19

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #166 on: 03/29/2018 07:41 am »
Tweet from Moon Express:
Quote
We have a multi-launch contract with Rocket Lab for the MX-1 with maiden flight likely in 2019. MX-2, 5 & 9 are designed for larger launch systems.
That sounds promising, but how firm is it?
« Last Edit: 03/29/2018 04:54 pm by john smith 19 »
MCT ITS BFR SS. The worlds first Methane fueled FFSC engined CFRP SS structure A380 sized aerospaceplane tail sitter capable of Earth & Mars atmospheric flight.First flight to Mars by end of 2022 TBC. T&C apply. Trust nothing. Run your own #s "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof" R. Simberg."Competitve" means cheaper ¬cheap SCramjet proposed 1956. First +ve thrust 2004. US R&D spend to date > $10Bn. #deployed designs. Zero.

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #167 on: 03/29/2018 09:01 am »
The maiden flight is going to put MX1in lunar orbit. Probably deliver some cubesats  in the process. 2nd flight will be a landing if all goes well. May need extra boost of LauncherOne to deliver a decent payload.


Offline FutureSpaceTourist

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #168 on: 06/28/2018 08:46 pm »
Quote
Ben Roberts, Moon Express: our first mission should be late next year; depends on customers and launch providers. #NewSpace2018

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1012397758001635329

Quote
Roberts: see NASA as an anchor tenant for our landers, but don’t think it will be hard to find others if we get costs low enough. #NewSpace2018

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1012398386862051329

Quote
Roberts: we’ll likely use the Electron launches under contract for orbital missions versus lunar landers. That’s based on NASA’s desire to maximize landed mass for its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. #NewSpace2018

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1012408772764028928

Quote
Roberts: regarding spectrum, will ask FCC to consider proposed smallsat licensing process for lunar missions as well. #NewSpace2018

https://twitter.com/jeff_foust/status/1012409208095035392
« Last Edit: 06/28/2018 08:50 pm by FutureSpaceTourist »

Offline synchrotron

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #169 on: 06/28/2018 09:06 pm »
Quote
Ben Roberts, Moon Express: our first mission should be late next year; depends on customers and launch providers. #NewSpace2018

This would make a good vision statement for MoonEx: "should be late next year"

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #170 on: 06/29/2018 07:21 pm »
Quote
Ben Roberts, Moon Express: our first mission should be late next year; depends on customers and launch providers. #NewSpace2018

This would make a good vision statement for MoonEx: "should be late next year"
To be fair this statement could apply to most companies working on leading aerospace projects.
« Last Edit: 06/29/2018 07:22 pm by TrevorMonty »

Offline GWH

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #171 on: 08/05/2018 02:53 am »
Not looking good for Moon Express:
According to this employee @MoonEx is down to 2 engineers, and is not paying employees, vendors, or the water bill. https://t.co/9oF4P1HLR1 Didn't the state of Florida just send them $1.5 mil? Have they paid off the IM lawsuit yet?

https://twitter.com/JoeSolarsystem/status/1025506710700605440?s=19

Offline JH

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #172 on: 08/05/2018 04:50 am »
It was co-founded by Naveen Jain. Hard to think of a bigger red flag than that.

Offline ringsider

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #173 on: 08/05/2018 09:14 am »

Offline Phil Stooke

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #174 on: 08/20/2018 10:24 pm »
https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2018/EPSC2018-349.pdf

Alain Berinstain and Bob Richards are still promoting their missions.  Whatever people may think of Naveen Jain, they are not the same. 

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #175 on: 08/21/2018 08:04 am »
https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2018/EPSC2018-349.pdf

Alain Berinstain and Bob Richards are still promoting their missions.  Whatever people may think of Naveen Jain, they are not the same.
They've started including LOP-G in their plans, see extract below. A MX1 should be able to do round trip from LOP-G to surface and back, with upto 30kg of lunar sample.

Extract website link

"Although  the  current  architectures  for  Moon  Express  missions  involve  going  from  Low  Earth Orbit  directly  to  Lunar  orbit,  then  Lunar  surface, or  to  other  destinations  in  the  solar  system,  integrating  the  MX  family  spacecraft  into  an  architecture  that  involves  the  Lunar  Orbital  Platform (LOP)  presents  new  and  exciting  opportunities for  science  and  for  cis-lunar  operations  in  general. Mission  concepts  that  assume  that  the  LOP  is available  as  a  hub  of  operations  in  Lunar  orbit can  enable  much  larger  landed  masses  on  the lunar  surface  and/or  continuous  shuttle  service for  assets  on  the  surface  or  for  returned  samples to  LOP. Moon  Express  has  been  able  to  collapse  the  cost of  Lunar  missions,  and  the  incorporation  of  LOP into  mission  scenarios  enable  even  lower  mission costs  with  a  workhorse  for  small  payloads  to  and from  the  surface  of  the  Moon,  and  from  the  Lunar  Orbital  Platform  itself."
« Last Edit: 08/22/2018 12:16 am by TrevorMonty »

Offline ChrisWilson68

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #176 on: 08/21/2018 08:22 am »
https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2018/EPSC2018-349.pdf

Alain Berinstain and Bob Richards are still promoting their missions.  Whatever people may think of Naveen Jain, they are not the same.

Yeah, but they chose to associate themselves with Naveen Jain.  Poor choice.

Offline ChrisWilson68

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #177 on: 08/21/2018 08:27 am »
https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2018/EPSC2018-349.pdf

Extract website link
Quote
Moon  Express  has  been  able  to  collapse  the  cost of  Lunar  missions

No, they haven't.  They've claimed that in the future they will.  That's very far from the same thing.

The evidence suggests they've burned through their financing or have lost it and are unable to get more financing, so their operations have slowed to a crawl.  That indicates they are very unlikely to collapse the cost of lunar missions or do anything else they've claimed they would do.

EDIT: Changed quoting to make it clear that TrevorMonty wasn't claiming this, it was just something he was quoting from a web page linked to by a previous poster.
« Last Edit: 08/22/2018 01:50 am by ChrisWilson68 »

Offline TrevorMonty

Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #178 on: 08/21/2018 10:38 am »
Moon  Express  has  been  able  to  collapse  the  cost of  Lunar  missions

No, they haven't.  They've claimed that in the future they will.  That's very far from the same thing.

The evidence suggests they've burned through their financing or have lost it and are unable to get more financing, so their operations have slowed to a crawl.  That indicates they are very unlikely to collapse the cost of lunar missions or do anything else they've claimed they would do.
Please do not quote and edit mine postings out of content.

Edit/Lar - destridentcy filter
« Last Edit: 08/21/2018 04:44 pm by Lar »

Offline Phil Stooke

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Re: Moon Express MX-1
« Reply #179 on: 08/21/2018 05:15 pm »
"Yeah, but they chose to associate themselves with Naveen Jain.  Poor choice."

It may have been!  But Bob Richards' take on it - said to me in person - was that he found "the last billionaire"  - the last one who was interested in investing in space.  The dollar signs presumably looked too good to turn down.  Hindsight might tell a different story, but maybe a technical foundation has been built that will lead somewhere even if Moon Express is unable to continue.  Who was it who said 'always look on the bright side of life'? 

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