Lunar Outpost Partners with Castrol for Lunar Mission Operations

Lunar Outpost Partners with Castrol for Lunar Mission Operations
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 16, 2024

Lunar Outpost has announced that Castrol will be the lead collaborator for its Mission Control Center during the upcoming Lunar Voyage 1 mission, set to launch later this year. This Mission Control Center will serve as the operational hub for Lunar Voyage 1 (LV1), providing crucial oversight and decision-making capabilities.

The LV1 mission will target Shackleton Connecting Ridge near the Moon's South Pole, utilizing Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander. The mission will deploy the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover, marking the first exploration of this lunar region. The Mission Control Center will play a central role in managing the rover's journey, navigating the challenges of low sun angles, deep shadows, and hazardous craters. Additionally, the center will be responsible for monitoring and operating a variety of commercial payloads aboard the rover.

"Our collaboration with Castrol reflects a shared vision for future lunar missions and commitment to push the limits of exploration," said Justin Cyrus, CEO at Lunar Outpost. "Castrol has worked with NASA since the first Apollo missions. Having the expertise of industry leaders with space heritage will not only support our commercial goals for Lunar Voyage 1 but will also help the space industry thrive."

With over 70 years of experience in the space sector, Castrol has a rich history of supporting groundbreaking missions. This partnership is part of Castrol's Castronomy initiative, which aims to drive innovation in space mobility through strategic collaborations. The joint efforts of Lunar Outpost and Castrol are focused on enhancing mission success through the evolution of standard mission control practices.

"Castrol has been working with the space industry providing lubricants for critical mechanisms for over 60 years. Successful missions depend on the coming together of experts, pioneers, and visionaries. At Castrol, we call these space collaborations Castronomy. We are thrilled to announce a new collaboration with Lunar Outpost, a truly visionary team pushing the limits of technological advancement and space exploration," said Nicola Buck, Chief Marketing Officer, Castrol.

The Mission Control Center is set to facilitate several historic milestones, including:

- The first rover at the lunar South Pole region
- The first commercial rover on another planetary body
- The first commercial sale of space resources in human history
- The first cellular network on another planetary body