Masten Space Systems
Masten Space Systems is an aerospace manufacturer startup company in Mojave, California that is developing a line of vertical takeoff, vertical landing rockets, initially for uncrewed research sub-orbital spaceflights and eventually intended to support robotic orbital spaceflight launches. In 2020, NASA awarded Masten a contract for a lunar lander mission; NASA is to pay Masten US$75.9 million for Masten to build and launch a lander called XL-1 to take NASA and other customer payloads to the south pole of the Moon. Masten Mission One will be Masten's first space flight; it is scheduled for launch in November 2023. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 28 July 2022. The company cited an estimated $10-50 million owed to creditors including other aerospace companies as the primary cause of the bankruptcy filing.
