Defense and aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has announced the creation of a new commercial venture dubbed Crescent Space, which will allow it to enter into the lunar infrastructure sector. The company will provide “infrastructure-as-a-service” for future lunar missions, and is part of the burgeoning “lunar economy.”
This venture comes just months after the successful launch of Artemis I, which is the first step to a new manned mission back to the lunar surface. NASA now plans to send a human crew to the moon by 2025, with a goal to eventually create a “sustained” lunar presence.
Back to the Moon
Science fiction has long presented a future where there will be permanent colonies on the moon, while an even more whimsical take can be seen in the Apple+ original retro-future series, Hello Tomorrow, which features lunar timeshares as a key plot point.
Such space tourism on the moon is likely decades away, and due to international treaties, it is unlikely anyone will be sold an actual timeshare for a lunar residence. However, a number of private companies including ispace and Astrobotic have already announced their plans to send missions to the moon – including the delivery of cargo for government customers. There are now at least two dozen companies focused on the moon that have raised funds from a number of sources.
This is still the early stages of the future “lunar economy” but it is attracting long-established aerospace firms such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing, as well as new entrants like SpaceX, along with a plethora of start-ups.
Crescent Space – Addressing the Communications Issue
What is also notable is that not all of the parties that are seeking to be part of the lunar economy are actually going to have a presence on the actual celestial body.
Lockheed Martin’s Crescent Space is instead looking to address the challenges of uninterrupted communications between Earth, the moon, and a growing number of lunar missions – and that includes those on the far side of the moon. Instead of earth-bound cellular towers, Crescent seeks to develop Parsec, a cislunar communications and navigation network.
It will utilize a constellation of small lunar satellites that will collectively work to provide a continuous connection between Earth and assets in lunar orbit, as well as on the surface of the moon. In addition to communications, Parsec will also provide critical position, timing, and navigation services for future lunar missions.
According to Lockheed Martin, Crescent will own and operate the Parsec network upon launch of its first nodes in 2025. The aerospace giant will also produce and deliver the Parsec spacecraft to Crescent, drawing upon its deep expertise in developing exploration missions, communications satellites, software, and GPS satellites.
Joe Landon – Moon Pioneer
Lockheed has named Joe Landon CEO of the new venture. He had previously served as vice president of Advanced Programs Development for Lockheed Martin Space. In that role, Landon was responsible for Lockheed Martin’s space exploration strategy, and he led growth, strategy, and research and development for the company’s Commercial Civil Space line of business.
Landon was also instrumental in developing the concept for Crescent and launching the company. Before his time at Lockheed Martin, Landon was an early entrepreneur and investor in the commercial space sector.
For Crescent, Landon has brought together a world-class team whose previous expertise supporting civil, commercial, and military space missions makes them a perfect fit to lead the charge in providing services for the lunar economy.
“Crescent is well positioned to serve the upcoming wave of lunar science and exploration missions, including NASA’s crewed Artemis moon landings,” said Landon, who previously served as CFO of asteroid mining venture Planetary Resources.
“With Lockheed Martin’s investment and access to its technical capabilities and deep space experience, Crescent is set up to ensure Parsec will be ready to provide reliable and affordable communications services for our customers,” added Landon.
Crescent has announced plans to offer additional services to further enable science, exploration, and commerce on the moon and in deep space. To infinity and beyond, indeed.
