Lunar Outpost Lunar Voyage 1 (MAPP rover on IM-2)
Lunar Outpost's MAPP rover flew on Intuitive Machines' IM-2 lander to perform the regolith collection under its $1 NASA space-resources contract and carried a neutron spectrometer for water-signature prospecting; because the lander came to rest on its side, MAPP was never deployed and no regolith was collected.
Objective. Collect a small quantity of lunar regolith with a wheel-mounted hopper and transfer ownership to NASA under a $1 contract, and take neutron-spectrometer measurements for water signatures.
Facts
- Kind
- Payload
- Carried by
- Intuitive Machines IM-2 (Athena lander)
- Mission type
- Resource purchase demonstration
- Target
- MoonLunar south pole region (IM-2 landing site near Mons Mouton)
- Launch
- 2025-02-26
- Launch vehicle
- SpaceX Falcon 9
- Phase
- EndedLunar Outpost's 'Lunar Voyage 1 Update' (2025-03-07) states MAPP was not deployed.
- Outcome
- FailureBasis: operator statement
- Why it is included
- Resource transaction
Outcome statement (operator statement)
The Nova-C lander ended up on its side with MAPP's garage wedged upside down under the lander, preventing MAPP's deployment to the lunar surface. Our data paints a clear picture that MAPP survived the landing, would have driven on the lunar surface and achieved our mission objectives had it been given the opportunity.
Participants
Operators, payload owners, carriers and customers are recorded separately.
| Organization | Role |
|---|---|
| Lunar Outpost | Operator |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Customer |
| Intuitive Machines | Carrier |
Resources and evidence
| Resource | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Regolith | Targeted |
| Water ice | Targeted |
Dated events
- 2020-12-03
NASA lunar regolith purchase contract to Lunar Outpost, $1
NASA selected Lunar Outpost to collect lunar regolith and transfer ownership in place to NASA for $1. Lunar Outpost states NASA paid $0.10 on completion of the contract's Concept Review (August 2021) and that its MAPP rover on Intuitive Machines IM-2 (Lunar Voyage 1) was to make the collection; the lander came to rest on its side on 6 March 2025 and MAPP could not be deployed, so no collection occurred.
Sources (5) and evidence gaps
NASA 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.
Lunar Outpost proposed collection for $1 following arrival of a lander to the lunar South Pole in 2023.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson presented a check for $0.10 to Lunar Outpost CEO, Justin Cyrus, for the successful completion of the Concept Review for that contract.
execute the first sale of space resources with NASA through regolith collection
The Nova-C lander ended up on its side with MAPP's garage wedged upside down under the lander, preventing MAPP's deployment to the lunar surface.
- Whether the contract remains open for a later Lunar Outpost mission is not stated in any retrieved source.
- No mission record exists here for Lunar Outpost Lunar Voyage 1 / MAPP on IM-2.
Open evidence gaps
- Owner/builder of the MAPP neutron spectrometer not named in the sources reviewed.
Record history
changes to this record's facts, newest first
| Changed | Field | Was | Now | Reason | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-02 | launch date | 2022-Q4 | 2025-02-26 | Schedule slip | [6] |
Sources
8 sourcesThe Nova-C lander ended up on its side with MAPP's garage wedged upside down under the lander, preventing MAPP's deployment to the lunar surface.
Our data paints a clear picture that MAPP survived the landing, would have driven on the lunar surface and achieved our mission objectives had it been given the opportunity.
Regolith Collection Mechanism for NASA Space Resources Contract
Neutron Spectrometer for water signature prospecting
As part of this contract, Lunar Outpost will collect regolith from a region near the lunar South Pole using a wheel-mounted hopper onboard its MAPP rover.
The collection will take place during Lunar Outpost's Q4 2022 mission with Nokia and Intuitive Machines
Lunar Outpost proposed collection for $1 following arrival of a lander to the lunar South Pole in 2023.
Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission launched at 6:16 p.m., Feb. 26, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.