The launch of a lunar lander, crucial for a NASA-funded mission, has been pushed back from 2026 to 2027. This shift is attributed to a change in engines for ispace’s Apex 1.0 lander, developed by ispace U.S. for a Draper-led team under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
Initially, the lander was set to utilize Agile Space Industries’ A2200 engine. However, due to procurement schedule issues, ispace U.S. and Agile opted for a new engine, VoidRunner. VoidRunner, a joint venture, features a valve system designed by ispace U.S. The companies highlight that VoidRunner requires only one-fourth the parts of its predecessor, leading to significant vehicle architecture simplifications. Agile has already conducted vacuum test firings of the engine.
This engine switch necessitates modifications to the lander design, resulting in the delay of Mission 3 to 2027. “Agile is committed to ensuring our technology fully empowers ispace’s Mission 3 to success. We were confident that VoidRunner meets ispace U.S.’s performance expectations but also drives long-term efficiency,” stated Chris Pearson, chief executive of Agile Space Industries. Elizabeth Kryst, chief executive of ispace U.S., added, “We are confident in the new propulsion system and renewed collaboration with Agile.”
Mission 3, also known as NASA’s CP-12 mission, involves delivering seismometers, a heat flow instrument, and electromagnetic field sensors to the Schrödinger Basin on the lunar far side. Two communication relay satellites, Alpine and Lupine, developed by ispace U.S. with Blue Canyon Technologies buses, will accompany the lander. While initially slated for a 2025 launch, the NASA task order awarded to Draper in 2022 for the $73 million CP-12 mission will now see a significant delay. The delay shuffles the launch order, making Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 2 potentially the first CLPS mission to attempt a farside landing.
Despite this setback, ispace U.S. continues to pursue other CLPS opportunities, recently announcing a partnership with Redwire to collaborate on future lunar lander missions. Redwire, a CLPS participant via its acquisition of Deep Space Systems, is yet to secure a CLPS task order.