Masten Space Systems, Inc.
Mojave, California rocket-lander company (founded 2004) that held a NASA CLPS task order to land resource-prospecting instruments at the lunar south pole and a USD 15,000 NASA regolith-purchase contract; it filed Chapter 11 in July 2022, sold substantially all assets to Astrobotic under a Sept 2022 court order, and was liquidated under a plan effective Nov 2022.
Resources and evidence
Each resource shows the highest step primary sources support. How the ladder works.
| Resource | Evidence | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Regolith | Targeted | mission aimed at it |
| Water ice | Targeted | mission aimed at it |
| Volatiles | Targeted | mission aimed at it |
Demonstrated
No lunar mission flew. Masten performed terrestrial vertical-takeoff/landing test flights (600+ per Astrobotic) and flew payloads such as Honeybee Robotics' PlanetVac on suborbital tests.
Claimed or planned
Masten Mission One was to deliver NASA instruments including MSolo, NIRVSS and the Neutron Spectrometer System to the south pole, and Masten proposed to collect lunar regolith for NASA for USD 15,000. Astrobotic's release lists 'lunar water mining technology' among the Masten technology portfolio it acquired.
Facts
- Headquarters
- United States
- Type
- Company
- Founded
- 2004
- Status
- Dissolvedas of 2022-11-28. U.S. Bankruptcy Court (D. Del.) case 22-10657 docket: Chapter 11 petition 2022-07-28; order approving sale of substantially all assets signed 2022-09-08; plan of liquidation confirmed 2022-11-09, debtor renamed Space Case, Inc., effective date noticed 2022-11-28; a Masten Liquidating Trust administers the estate. The asset sale to Astrobotic was not a purchase of the corporation, so no parent organization is linked, and the status is dissolved rather than absorbed.
- Roles
- Lander / transport
- Targets
- Moon
- Also known as
- Masten; Space Case, Inc. (debtor's name after the asset sale)
- Website
- masten.aero
Missions
1 records| Mission | Role | Launch | Phase | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masten Mission One (XL-1 lander, NASA CLPS task order TO19C)Spacecraft | Operator | Former plan: 2023-11Date detailsHistorical. The mission was cancelled. | Cancelled | Not applicable |
Dated events
Amounts are shown one at a time as each source states them. They are never added together.
- 2020-12-03
NASA lunar regolith purchase contract to Masten Space Systems, $15,000
NASA selected Masten Space Systems to collect lunar regolith and transfer ownership in place to NASA for $15,000, following a planned 2023 South Pole landing. Masten never flew a lunar lander; Masten filed for Chapter 11 in July 2022; Astrobotic announced in September 2022 that it had acquired Masten, and the company was later liquidated under a Chapter 11 plan. The fate of this contract is not documented in retrieved sources.
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.
Masten Space Systems proposed collection for $15,000 following arrival in 2023 of a lander to the lunar South Pole.
Astrobotic announces today the acquisition of Masten Space Systems
Chapter 11 Voluntary Petition . Fee Amount $1738. Filed by Masten Space Systems, Inc.
Notice of Entry of Order Confirming, and Occurrence of Effective Date of Modified Combined Disclosure Statement and Chapter 11 Plan of Liquidation of Masten Space Systems, Inc.
- Termination, assignment, or other disposition of Masten's regolith contract after the 2022 acquisition not found in any primary source.
- 2020-04-08
NASA CLPS task order to Masten Space Systems for south-pole delivery (USD 75.9 million)
NASA awarded Masten a USD 75.9 million CLPS task order to deliver eight payloads (nine instruments), several resource-related, to the lunar south pole; NASA OIG later reported the value grew to USD 81.3 million and the task order was terminated.
Sources (3)
The $75.9 million award includes end-to-end services for delivery of the instruments
Further, two task orders were terminated, one of which had already been paid $66.1 million of the $81.3 million task order value based on milestones performed.
As a result of this bankruptcy, NASA lost the $66 million in milestone payments made to Masten and is in the process of settling recoveries.
Open evidence gaps
- Plan confirmation order and sale order texts not retrieved (docket entries only).
- masten.aero did not respond on 2026-09-25; listed as the historical domain.
Record history
changes to this record's facts, newest first
| Changed | Field | Was | Now | Reason | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-11-28 | status | Active | Dissolved | Source update | [2] |
Sources
7 sourcesChapter 11 Voluntary Petition . Fee Amount $1738. Filed by Masten Space Systems, Inc.
Notice of Entry of Order Confirming, and Occurrence of Effective Date of Modified Combined Disclosure Statement and Chapter 11 Plan of Liquidation of Masten Space Systems, Inc.
Notice of Name Change of Debtor Filed by Masten Space Systems, Inc.
Peter Hurwitz, solely in his capacity as Liquidating Trustee of the Masten Liquidating Trust
Founded in 2004, Masten won a contract with NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program in April 2020
Astrobotic will also continue to advance Masten's space technology portfolio, which includes innovations in lunar night survival, instant landing pads construction, lunar water mining technology, and lunar infrastructure construction technologies.
Masten Space Systems proposed collection for $15,000 following arrival in 2023 of a lander to the lunar South Pole.