CisLunar Industries Joins DARPA's Innovative LunA-10 Lunar Infrastructure Program

CisLunar Industries Joins DARPA's Innovative LunA-10 Lunar Infrastructure Program
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 07, 2023

CisLunar Industries, an emerging name in space technology, has secured a significant contract with DARPA for the LunA-10 capability study, marking a major step in advancing lunar infrastructure development. This contract positions CisLunar Industries at the forefront of efforts to redefine lunar operations and services.

The LunA-10 program, undertaken by DARPA, is a forward-looking initiative aimed at transforming the current model of lunar operations. It seeks to replace isolated, self-sufficient lunar systems with a more integrated, resource-driven approach. This program is pivotal in transitioning from individual efforts to scalable, shareable systems that can foster a monetizable lunar economy.

CisLunar Industries will play a crucial role in this transformation by developing the METAL framework (Material Extraction, Treatment, Assembly, and Logistics). This framework is a cornerstone of the LunA-10 program, designed to integrate various lunar services and make them more efficient and commercially viable. The collaboration with 13 other visionary companies underlines the program's emphasis on collective, interdisciplinary efforts.

The company's participation in LunA-10 is not just a technological endeavor but also a strategic collaboration with key industry experts. CisLunar Industries is partnering with renowned figures in fields like terrestrial mining, equipment autonomy, sustainability, and digital transformation. This includes Laeeque Daneshmend of ReliAvail Technologies Inc., Aiden O'Leary of Omnetix, Salar Javid of Javid and Company Inc., and Andrew Petruska, an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines.

Gary Calnan, CEO of CisLunar Industries, expressed enthusiasm about the LunA-10 initiative. "DARPA finally did what the industry was waiting for," Calnan said. "By bringing together 14 companies, each representing a crucial part of the future lunar economy, LunA-10 lays the groundwork for a marketplace where the entire space domain can participate."

DARPA's vision for LunA-10 aligns with the broader objective of enabling rapid scaling of lunar exploration and commerce. The agency supports an integrated lunar infrastructure framework, crucial for future lunar endeavors by NASA, international governments, and the commercial industry. This integrated approach aims to solve the challenge of each lunar lander or activity needing to organically support essential resources like power, communications, and data storage independently.