Regolith Test Facility Arrives on the Moon
Australian Lunar Rover to Land Soon
There is a lot of attention being paid to the Moon this week. Early Sunday, the Blue Ghost Mission-1 touched down on the lunar surface, and the Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission is on its way.
"RAC will gather crucial data on the Moon's surface to test, improve and safeguard future spacecraft, spacesuits and habitats from the detrimental effects of regolith."
Bill Hollister, Aegis Aerospace
One of the instruments include on the Blue Ghost Mission-1 is the Aegis Aerospace Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC) regolith test facility, which will operate for one lunar day (or 14 Earth days) to determine how lunar regolith, or lunar dust, adheres to a range of materials exposed to the lunar environment.
"Sunday morning marked a defining moment in both our company's journey and the future of commercial space exploration as our industry celebrates this successful Moon landing," said Bill Hollister, president of Aegis Aerospace. "RAC will gather crucial data on the Moon's surface to test, improve and safeguard future spacecraft, spacesuits and habitats from the detrimental effects of regolith."
Aegis Aerospace has a second lunar test facility, SSTEF, planned to launch to the Moon with an anticipated mission window through early 2026.
On March 6th, the IM-2 mission Athena lunar lander is expected to make its arrival at the Moon's south pole. Aboard that lander is the Lunar Outpost MAPP (Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform) rover, which if successful will become the first commercial rover to operate on another planetary body. MAPP will be the first rover to explore the Moon’s South Pole, a region critical to future lunar infrastructure and sustainability, and complete the first commercial sale of space resources, a significant step in unlocking the economic potential of the Moon.
The rover is also carrying payloads from MIT and other global partners, showcasing how private industry is driving a new era of space exploration and commercialization. The Australian-built MAPP rover will also be a key component in demonstrating Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS), which in collaboration with Intuitive Machines and NASA will establish the first cellular network on the Moon.
“Lunar Voyage 1 is not just about exploration—it’s about proving that private industry can operate, sustain, and create economic value on the Moon,” said Justin Cyrus, CEO of Lunar Outpost. “These historic accomplishments create real-world lunar infrastructure, resource utilization, and planetary mobility—essential steps toward a lasting human presence beyond Earth.”
Lunar Voyage 1 marks a significant milestone for space commerce: the sale of lunar resources to NASA. This transaction with NASA demonstrates that space resources have real economic value, setting a precedent for future commercial activities on the Moon. By pioneering the commercial extraction and sale of lunar resources, the company says it is enabling a new market for space commodities that can support long-term human operations in space.