XL-1
A small robotic Moon lander Masten was building to carry NASA instruments to the lunar south pole. The mission ended when the company went bankrupt in 2022.
Why it matters
XL-1 was one of NASA's early commercial Moon delivery orders. Its collapse showed how hard it is for a small company to fund a lander. Astrobotic later bought Masten's assets.
How the technology works
XL-1 was to launch on a SpaceX rocket and carry nine NASA-sponsored instruments to a landing near the south pole under a CLPS task order worth $75.9 million at award. The landing slipped from December 2022 to November 2023 before Masten filed for bankruptcy.
Sources
Updated Oct 22, 2026 · How we source facts · Suggest a correction