Cislune

What Cislune does

Cislune is a privately held U.S. company, founded in 2021 and based in Los Angeles, focused on enabling sustainable human settlement on the Moon. Its core mission is developing the in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), lunar construction, and autonomous robotics technologies needed to convert lunar regolith into propellant, water, metals, and surface infrastructure such as landing pads and habitats. Specific capability tracks include a Lunar Fuel Factory for propellant production, Water Processing Technologies for water ice and metal extraction, Lunar Infrastructure design, and Autonomous Robotics & Resource Collection systems.

The company's operating model is anchored to U.S. government contracting: Cislune has secured twelve NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts and has competed in NASA challenges including the Break the Ice Lunar Challenge and the 2023 NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge, where it was one of eleven winners awarded $16,000 (with potential follow-on awards up to $85,000). Its reported primary customer segments are NASA and other government space agencies for lunar infrastructure and ISRU development, with commercial space companies identified as a future customer segment for propellant supply and infrastructure services.

In parallel with its government R&D work, Cislune launched SimMoon in March 2024, a VR simulator of the lunar surface distributed through the Apple Vision Pro App Store and the Meta Quest store, targeting space enthusiasts and researchers on a freemium basis. The combination of NASA-funded hardware/ISRU development and a consumer-facing simulation app is intended to test lunar development concepts, build community engagement, and create a future commercialization path via technology licensing to commercial space operators. The company is presently small (1–10 employees) and pre-public, with no disclosed institutional funding beyond the NASA Entrepreneurs Challenge award.

Name

Cislune

Website

https://cislune.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cislune is a Los Angeles-based private company developing lunar in-situ resource utilization, autonomous robotics, and surface infrastructure technologies for NASA and future commercial space customers, complemented by a consumer VR lunar simulator called SimMoon.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lunar Space Technology

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760)

akta.pro primary industry

Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Space Structures, Mechanisms & Thermal Control (IMABACAF), Space Payloads & Instruments (Sensors, Comms, EO/IR) (IMABACAD)

Keywords

• Lunar surface robotics
• In-situ resource utilization
• Lunar infrastructure development
• Space technology R&D
• Autonomous lunar systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. NASA SBIR Contracts: Cislune has secured twelve NASA SBIR contracts to develop lunar technologies. These government contracts provide funding for R&D of lunar infrastructure, ISRU systems, and autonomous robotics solutions.
2. Technology Licensing & Commercialization: Future revenue potential from licensing lunar construction, ISRU, and robotics technologies to commercial space companies and government agencies.
3. Consumer VR Applications: SimMoon VR application available on App Store and Meta Quest platforms, targeting space enthusiasts and researchers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cislune develops lunar infrastructure technologies including excavators, rovers, and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) systems for propellant production, water ice extraction, and site preparation on the Moon. The company has secured twelve NASA SBIR contracts to advance these capabilities. It also offers SimMoon, a VR lunar surface simulator available on Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest for testing lunar development concepts.

Product overview

Cislune is developing a portfolio of lunar infrastructure technologies aimed at accelerating the lunar economy and enabling sustainable human settlement on the Moon. The core offerings include a VR simulation application called SimMoon (available on Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest) for testing lunar development concepts, alongside physical technologies including a Lunar Fuel Factory for producing propellants, Lunar Infrastructure for landing pads and habitats, Autonomous Robotics & Resource Collection systems, and Water Processing Technologies for extracting water ice and metals from regolith. The company has secured twelve NASA SBIR contracts to support this work.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SimMoon: VR lunar surface simulator for Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest, simulating the lunar surface in virtual reality for community building and game development.

Products and services

• SimMoon An immersive VR simulator of the lunar surface available on Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest platforms. Cislune is developing it to test lunar development ideas and processes, with features for community building and games. Targets space enthusiasts and researchers.
• Lunar Fuel Factory Pioneering methods to produce and supply lunar-derived propellants through advanced beneficiation and processing techniques for fueling the future lunar economy. Developed under NASA SBIR contracts.
• Lunar Infrastructure Researching and designing landing pads, habitats, and site-ready infrastructure to accelerate human lunar operations and support lunar settlement. Developed under NASA SBIR contracts.
• Autonomous Robotics and Resource Collection Cutting-edge autonomous systems including rovers for efficient resource extraction and processing from lunar regolith, vital for continuous lunar site development. Developed under NASA SBIR contracts.
• Water Processing Technologies Technologies to beneficiate water ice and metals from lunar regolith, essential to long-term habitation and enabling expansion to the rest of the solar system. Developed under NASA SBIR contracts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Twelve NASA SBIR contracts secured
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 August 2023Cislune participates in NASA's Entrepreneurs Challenge and has secured twelve NASA SBIR contracts for developing lunar infrastructure, ISRU technologies, and autonomous robotics systems. NASA provides funding and validation for the company's lunar settlement technologies.
• NASAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCislune has secured twelve NASA SBIR contracts to develop infrastructure for a lunar gas station and related lunar commercialization technologies. The partnership focuses on advancing lunar fuel factory capabilities and autonomous robotics for resource extraction.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Lunar Outpost: Colorado-based company developing lunar rovers (MAPP, EagleCam) and ISRU technologies for resource prospecting. Closely comparable as a small-team NASA-funded competitor building lunar mobility and resource extraction systems.
• ispace: Japan-based lunar lander company (Hakuto-R) that has flown commercial lunar missions and pursues lunar payload services and resource prospecting. Comparable as a small, publicly listed competitor targeting the same lunar services and resource economy.
• Astrolab: California-based startup developing the FLEX lunar rover and large-scale lunar surface logistics. Comparable as a venture-backed competitor building multi-purpose lunar mobility for both NASA and commercial customers.
• Intuitive Machines: Houston-based lunar services company that flew the first commercial lunar lander (IM-1 / Odysseus) in 2024 and has multiple NASA CLPS contracts. Comparable as a NASA-contracted lunar infrastructure and services peer pursuing adjacent elements of the lunar economy.
• Honeybee Robotics: Now owned by Blue Origin, builds robotic drills, sampling systems, and mobility platforms for lunar and planetary missions (e.g., Honeybee's TRIDENT drill, RASSOR). Directly comparable as a lunar robotics and ISRU peer, though with significantly more resources.
• Moon Express: Cape Canaveral-based company pursuing lunar landers and lunar resource extraction under its Lunar Scout and Harvest Moon programs. Comparable as an early-stage NASA-funded lunar mobility and resources startup.
• Astrobotic Technology: Pittsburgh-based lunar logistics company developing the Peregrine and Griffin landers plus the CubeRover platform. Directly comparable as a NASA SBIR-funded, small-team lunar surface mobility and infrastructure provider competing for the same CLPS and Artemis contracts.
• Masten Space Systems: California-based company developing vertical-landing lunar landers (XL-1) and surface systems, with deep NASA SBIR heritage. Comparable as a NASA-funded small business building lunar surface access infrastructure.
• Offworld: Pasadena-based startup developing autonomous industrial robots for space and extreme-environment resource extraction. Comparable as an early-stage NASA-engaged competitor focused on autonomous robotics for ISRU and mining.

Broad incumbents

• SpaceX: Elon Musk's aerospace company operating Starship, Falcon 9, and Starlink. Relevant as a broad incumbent driving much of the lunar logistics ecosystem and as a potential prime contractor / customer for Cislune's lunar fuel and infrastructure offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cisluneinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cislune