Masten Space Systems

What Masten Space Systems does

Masten Space Systems is a Mojave, California-based space infrastructure company founded in 2004 that builds reusable vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) rockets, rocket engines, and lunar mission hardware. Across six generations of landers (Xoie, Xaero/B, Xombie, Xodiac, Xogdor), Masten accumulated more than 600 successful rocket-powered landings — the most in the industry — supporting precision-landing maturation for NASA, defense, and commercial customers. Its engine portfolio spans the Tachi (6,000 lbf LOX/methane), Broadsword (25,000 lbf), and a family of RCS and smaller thrust engines, several additively manufactured using the patent-pending PermiAM process, which cuts production costs by 60% and time by 92% for 7,000 lbf-class injectors.

The company translated its VTVL heritage into lunar infrastructure products: the Xelene (XL-1) lunar lander (4,000 N thrust, 6 main engines + 12 RCS thrusters, hypergolic bipropellant); NITE for lunar-night survival (≈1,900 Wh/kg, enabling 12+ month surface operations); FAST instant landing pads to mitigate lunar dust; a Rocket Mining System projected to extract up to 420,000 kg of water per year; a Lunar PNT navigation network; and 3D-printed electric cryogenic pumps co-developed with P3 Technologies. Revenue is generated through government contract wins (NASA CLPS, Tipping Point, NIAC, AFWERX SBIR, DARPA XS-1), commercial lunar payload delivery services, testing services using reusable VTVL testbeds, and licensing of proprietary technologies. The company was acquired by Astrobotic in 2022 and now operates as Astrobotic's Propulsion & Test department.

Name

Masten Space Systems

Legal name

Masten Space Systems, Inc.

Website

https://masten.aero

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Masten Space Systems is a Mojave-based space infrastructure company that builds reusable VTVL rockets, rocket engines, and lunar mission hardware for NASA, defense, and commercial customers. Following its 2022 acquisition by Astrobotic, it now operates as Astrobotic's Propulsion & Test department.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Lunar Space Transportation

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Propulsion Unit and Propulsion Unit Parts Manufacturing (336415), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts (3724)

akta.pro primary industry

Spacecraft & Satellites (Civil/Commercial) (IMABACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Spacecraft Propulsion (In-Space) & Thrusters (IMABACAE), Space Logistics & In-Orbit Servicing (Refueling, Tug, Debris Removal) (IMABACAM), Reentry, Descent & Landing Systems (Capsules, Heat Shields, Parachutes) (IMABACAL), Spacecraft Avionics, Flight Computers & Software (IMABACAI)

Keywords

• Vertical takeoff landing rockets
• Lunar payload delivery
• Rocket engine manufacturing
• Lunar lander services
• Spaceflight testing services

Headquarters

HQ city

Mojave

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Lunar Payload Delivery Services: End-to-end mission services for delivering payloads to lunar surface including payload development, integration, testing, launch, mission operations, communications, and post-landing operations. Revenue from NASA CLPS contracts ($75.9M award) and commercial payload customers.
2. Rocket Engine Sales: Sale of proprietary rocket engines directly to customers including Tachi, Broadsword, and various RCS thrusters. Engines are used both for company's landers and sold to external customers.
3. Testing Services: Rocket-powered testbed services using reusable VTVL vehicles and engine stands for government, defense, and commercial customers to retire risk and advance technology readiness.
4. Technology Licensing: Licensing of proprietary technologies such as PermiAM, NITE System, FAST Landing Pads, and Lunar PNT Network to other aerospace companies and missions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Masten Space Systems designs, develops, and operates reusable vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) rocket vehicles, manufactures a family of liquid rocket engines, and provides end-to-end lunar payload delivery services using its Xelene lunar lander. The company also licenses proprietary space technologies (NITE thermal system, FAST landing pads, PermiAM additive manufacturing, Lunar PNT, Rocket Mining) and offers rocket-powered testing services for NASA, defense, and commercial space customers.

Product overview

Masten Space Systems is a space infrastructure company offering a comprehensive portfolio of reusable rocket vehicles, rocket engines, lunar landers, and mission-enabling technologies. The product portfolio centers on: (1) Terrestrial Landers (Xogdor, Xodiac, Xombie, Xoie, Xaero) - VTVL reusable rockets with 600+ successful landings used for technology testing; (2) Rocket Engines family including Tachi, Broadsword, and various RCS thrusters; (3) Xelene Lunar Lander (XL-1) for robotic lunar delivery; (4) Space Technologies including NITE System for lunar night survival, Rocket Mining System for water extraction, Lunar PNT Network for navigation, FAST Landing Pads for dust mitigation, PermiAM for 3D-printed components, and Electric Pumps; (5) Testing Services for EDL, payload, and engine testing; (6) Lunar Mission Services for end-to-end delivery. The company now operates as Astrobotic's Propulsion & Test department.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Terrestrial Landers (VTVL Vehicles)

Quantifiable outcome

• 60% reduction in manufacturing costs and 92% reduction in manufacturing time for 7,000 lbf thrust engine injectors using PermiAM
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• LeidoscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 July 2021Collaboration to build shock-proof beacon enclosures for lunar PNT network. Leidos supporting Phase II SBIR development of navigation beacons for lunar surface deployment.
• SpaceXcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 26 August 2020Launch provider selected for Masten Mission 1 to deliver lunar lander and payloads to lunar south pole. Falcon 9 to provide trans-lunar injection.
• University of Central Florida (Dr. Phil Metzger)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2020Co-investigators for FAST landing pad research. UCF contributing plume impingement expertise and conducting laser instrument development for detecting lunar dust damage.
• P3 TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2019Collaboration to offer line of compact, high-power density electric pumps. Integrates Masten's proprietary electric motor and controller technology with P3's advanced pump technology for 5-10K lbf thrust class engines.
• DARPAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 July 2014XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane program to develop reusable launch vehicle capable of 10 flights in 10 days with 3,000+ lb payload to LEO.
• Elementum 3DcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration to develop PermiAM additive manufacturing process for rocket engines. Elementum 3D provided materials expertise for printing metal components with controlled permeability. Joint development resulted in successful hot fire tests of 3D-printed transpiration-cooled injectors.
• Honeybee RoboticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to design Rocket Mining System for lunar ice extraction. Also co-investigators for FAST landing pad research and collaborated on lunar sample vacuum testing on Xodiac rocket.
• Lunar OutpostminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Rocket Mining System design for extracting lunar ice and volatiles from Moon's polar regions.
• Penn State University (Applied Research Lab)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on NITE/MOWS system development. Penn State contributing expertise in metallic oxidation reactions for thermal control systems enabling lunar night survival.
• Texas A&M UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in FAST landing pad study contributing materials analysis and particle size optimization research.
• Zandef DeksitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to develop Lunar ExoCam payload system for capturing video during lunar landings. Includes collaboration with Honeybee Robotics for camera deployment mechanisms.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Astrobotic Technology: Direct lunar lander competitor and now Masten's parent company; Astrobotic developed the Peregrine and Griffin landers for NASA's CLPS program and competes for the same Artemis-era payload delivery missions. After acquiring Masten in 2022, the two operate as an integrated lunar delivery platform.
• Intuitive Machines: Direct CLPS competitor building the Nova-C lunar lander; secured its own multi-mission CLPS task orders and competes head-to-head with Masten for NASA payload delivery slots to the lunar south pole.
• Firefly Aerospace: CLPS competitor developing the Blue Ghost lunar lander; competes with Masten for NASA lunar payload contracts and overlaps on the Alpha launch vehicle / small-launch customer base.
• ispace: Japanese lunar lander company developing the Hakuto-R Series 2 lander; competes with Masten in the commercial and government lunar payload delivery market and shares the same anchor customer set of space agencies and commercial payload providers.

Broad incumbents

• SpaceX: Selected by Masten as the launch provider for Mission 1 (Falcon 9 trans-lunar injection) and a broader incumbent that dwarfs Masten in launch capacity; Starship HLS is a long-run threat to CLPS-class lander economics.
• Blue Origin: Blue Moon lander program directly targets NASA HLS and beyond-EOLE-class lunar delivery; competes with Masten's Xelene lander for agency mindshare and downstream payload customers.
• Rocket Lab: Established small-launch and space systems incumbent with Neutron and a growing space systems business; overlaps with Masten in liquid rocket engines, lunar-related contracts, and small-satellite servicing adjacent to the same customer base.
• Sierra Space: Subsidiary of Sierra Nevada Corporation developing space transportation and in-space infrastructure; competes for NASA and DOD contracts adjacent to Masten's propulsion, lunar, and in-orbit servicing pursuits.

Emerging players

• Relativity Space: Additive-manufacturing-led rocket company (Aeon engines, Terran launch vehicles); comparable technology differentiation angle to Masten's PermiAM, and increasingly competing in the same NASA/DOD small-launch and propulsion procurement lanes.
• Lunar Outpost: Lunar mobility and resources company partnered with Masten on the Rocket Mining System; competes in adjacent lunar surface mobility and ISRU markets and shares access to NASA CLPS/Tipping Point funding pathways.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mastenspace

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 Masten Space Systems