What Open Lunar Foundation does

Open Lunar Foundation is a California-based non-profit organization founded in 2018 that advances cooperative, sustainable lunar exploration through governance research, policy frameworks, and open coordination infrastructure. The foundation convenes governments, commercial operators, academic researchers, and civil society to address coordination failures in an increasingly congested cislunar environment, particularly around high-value sites such as the lunar south pole.

The organization's flagship product is the Lunar Ledger, launched in 2025 at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, which is described as the world's first open-access database of lunar missions and surface activities. The platform enables mission registration, activity tracking, and data sharing through interactive Moon map visualization, role-based permissions, granular public/private data controls, and audit logs. Three founding commercial partners (Firefly Aerospace, ispace, and Astrolab) have committed to sharing mission data, and a March 2026 MOU with COSPAR adds scientific institutional backing. Additional products include the Designated Lunar Areas (DLAs) Framework with its Ground Rules Toolkit, the Lunar Policy Handbook (launched at UN COPUOS in 2023), Lunar Timekeeping research, and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) fellowship research. The organization holds Permanent Observer status at the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) and co-leads the Moon Dialogs consortium.

Open Lunar's business model is donations- and grants-based, typical of a non-profit foundation. Revenue comes from individual donors (Donor Circle), institutional funders, and collaborative funding arrangements with partners such as MoonDAO and Celestial Citizen. The organization does not sell products or services; research publications, the Lunar Ledger platform, and fellowship outputs are provided as open-access public goods. The fellowship program pays participants at USD 35/hour for 8 hours/week over 5-8 month periods. Operations are remote-first with a small core staff (approximately 11 identified individuals) supported by a global network of 1,500+ community members, 50+ expert advisors, and 30+ research fellows.

Name

Open Lunar Foundation

Legal name

Open Lunar Foundation

Website

https://openlunar.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Open Lunar Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 2018 that builds open coordination infrastructure, policy frameworks, and research for peaceful lunar exploration. It serves space agencies, commercial lunar operators, and researchers through products like the Lunar Ledger database and governance tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Space Governance and Policy Research

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

International Grantmaking & Development Foundations (BPAGAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Transparency Portals & Open Data Reporting (EDADAIAN)

Keywords

• Lunar governance research
• Space policy frameworks
• Lunar coordination infrastructure
• Space stewardship nonprofit
• Lunar mission registry

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Open Lunar Foundation is a non-profit organization that operates through charitable donations, grants, and fellowship funding partnerships. Revenue comes from individual donors (Donor Circle), institutional funders, and collaborative funding arrangements with partners like MoonDAO and Celestial Citizen.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Open Lunar Foundation is a non-profit organization that develops governance frameworks, policy research, and coordination infrastructure to support peaceful and cooperative lunar exploration. Its flagship offering is the Lunar Ledger, an open-access database platform where lunar missions can be registered and activities tracked to reduce site conflicts and build trust. The organization also operates a research fellowship program and convenes multi-stakeholder policy forums such as Moon Dialogs.

Product overview

Open Lunar Foundation operates as a non-profit focused on building infrastructure for peaceful lunar cooperation through research, policy development, and technology platforms. The flagship product is the Lunar Ledger (formerly Lunar Registry), an open-access database for lunar mission transparency and coordination. Additional offerings include the Designated Lunar Areas (DLAs) Framework with its Ground Rules Toolkit for surface operation coordination, Lunar Positioning Navigation and Timing (PNT) research, and the Lunar Timekeeping Project exploring lunar time standards. The organization also produces publications including the Lunar Policy Handbook and runs a Fellowship Program supporting research on lunar stewardship topics. The Moon Dialogs initiative convenes multi-stakeholder governance discussions. The organization does not offer commercial products but rather open research and coordination infrastructure for the lunar community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Lunar Ledger: A neutral, open-access database platform where lunar missions can be registered and activities tracked, helping reduce risks, avoid site conflicts, and build trust across the sector. Previously known as the Lunar Registry.

Products and services

• Lunar Ledger The world's first open-access database of lunar missions and surface activities, designed as a neutral, third-party platform enabling mission registration, activity tracking, and coordination to reduce risks, avoid site conflicts, and build trust. Features include interactive Moon maps, role-based permissions, granular public/private data controls, and audit logs. Built through collaboration with over 300 stakeholders.
• Designated Lunar Areas (DLAs) Framework A coordination framework allowing operators to declare their footprint, share data behind it, and coordinate with neighbors before conflicts arise. Includes a three-ring structure for site use and the Ground Rules Toolkit for lunar surface operations coordination.
• Lunar Policy Handbook Reference guidebook produced by the Moon Dialogs partnership for government personnel and private actors in the space industry, outlining policy issues and operational considerations related to lunar activities including registration, liability, and transparency.
• Open Lunar Fellowship Program Paid research fellowship program supporting individuals to develop original research on topics fundamental to realizing a peaceful presence on the Moon. Fellows are compensated at USD 35/hour for 8 hours/week over 5-8 month periods.
• Moon Dialogs Multi-stakeholder convening initiative focused on governance and coordination mechanisms for the lunar surface, bringing together governments, industry, academia, and civil society for consensus-building on voluntary frameworks.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 155 stakeholders engaged with 85.16% conversion rate in 2024 registry outreach
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and supporting.

• COSPAR (Committee on Space Research)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 March 2026COSPAR and Open Lunar Foundation signed an MOU on March 20, 2026 at the Earth-Space Governance Conference in Leiden, Netherlands. The partnership focuses on the Lunar Ledger and information sharing to advance lunar coordination, with COSPAR's scientific legitimacy supporting the registry's adoption.
• Firefly AerospacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Founding commercial partner for the Lunar Ledger. Firefly Aerospace committed to sharing mission data through the Ledger platform, marking a major step toward transparency and responsible lunar operations.
• ispacecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Founding commercial partner for the Lunar Ledger. ispace committed to sharing mission data through the Ledger platform as an early adopter.
• AstrolabcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Founding commercial partner for the Lunar Ledger. Astrolab committed to sharing mission data through the Ledger platform as an early adopter.
• Lunar Policy PlatformstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaborative partnership on the Lunar Information Sharing 101 initiative. With funding from Open Lunar, LPP consulted 70+ representatives from 35 governments, agencies, companies, and experts to understand information sharing views.
• Sustainable Markets InitiativesupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration on lunar registry workshop at IAC, bringing together government, industry, civil society, and scientific stakeholders.
• Karman ProjectsupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership on lunar governance discussions and workshop at IAC alongside other space sustainability initiatives.
• UNOOSAstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Open Lunar engaged with UNOOSA during IAC and UN Conference on Space Law and Policy, promoting transparency and coordination frameworks for lunar activities.
• Moon Dialogs ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Partnership including Arizona State University (Interplanetary Initiative), Secure World Foundation, MIT Media Lab (Space Exploration Initiative), For All Moonkind, and Space Generation Advisory Council. Focused on governance and coordination mechanisms for lunar activities through voluntary frameworks and international collaboration.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Commercial Space Federation: Commercial Space Federation is the leading US trade association for the commercial space industry, representing launch, satellite, and emerging space companies. It is a broad incumbent that engages with overlapping policy and coordination issues around commercial lunar activities, though focused on broader industry advocacy.
• The Planetary Society: The Planetary Society is the world's largest non-profit space advocacy organization, focused on planetary exploration, planetary defense, and space policy. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with Open Lunar's space advocacy and policy focus but operates across the entire space sector rather than specializing in lunar governance.
• COSPAR (Committee on Space Research): COSPAR is an international scientific organization that promotes space research and provides a forum for international cooperation. It is a broad incumbent and a recent MOU partner of Open Lunar for the Lunar Ledger, with overlapping interest in lunar coordination and scientific data sharing.

Direct peers

• Secure World Foundation: Secure World Foundation is a non-profit dedicated to the sustainable and peaceful use of outer space, focused on space policy, security, and sustainability. It is a direct peer and active collaborator through the Moon Dialogs partnership, addressing overlapping lunar governance and coordination issues.
• Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC): SGAC is a global non-governmental organization and youth network that represents students and young professionals in the space sector. It is a direct peer and Moon Dialogs partner, focused on inclusive governance and policy engagement for space activities including lunar missions.
• For All Moonkind: For All Moonkind is a non-profit focused on space law and the preservation of lunar and other extraterrestrial cultural and historical heritage. It is a direct peer and Moon Dialogs partner, working on overlapping policy and governance frameworks for lunar activity.
• Lunar Policy Platform: Lunar Policy Platform is a dedicated policy organization focused on lunar governance frameworks and information sharing. It is a direct peer that collaborated with Open Lunar on the Lunar Information Sharing 101 initiative, consulting 70+ representatives from 35 governments and agencies on information sharing practices.

Emerging players

• Karman Project: Karman Project is a non-profit foundation that convenes independent space leaders to strengthen cooperation in space activities. It is an emerging peer and Open Lunar partner that co-hosted lunar governance discussions at IAC, addressing overlapping themes of responsible lunar stewardship.
• MIT Media Lab Space Exploration Initiative: MIT Media Lab's Space Exploration Initiative develops tools and research for space exploration, with projects spanning lunar technology and policy. It is an emerging peer and Moon Dialogs partner that overlaps with Open Lunar in exploring cooperative lunar futures.
• Arizona State University Interplanetary Initiative: Arizona State University's Interplanetary Initiative is an academic research consortium focused on space governance, lunar policy, and interplanetary civilization. It is an emerging academic peer and active Moon Dialogs partner, producing overlapping research on lunar stewardship frameworks.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open-lunar-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Open Lunar Foundation