Forward-Thinking Management Add 2nd Facility, Stocks Up On Components For Guaranteed Assembly

Masten Mission 2 is now in the works, as the company announces the start of an ambitious lunar program aimed at reaching the lunar south pole with their Xelene lander.

The Haworth Crater is hoped to be the landing site for government and commercial payloads as it assesses surface composition, volatility, and radiation ahead of planned human missions expected to take place under the Artemis program. Masten aims to offer lunar delivery missions to all near and far-side of the moon locales, from craters to plains, poles to the equator. Masten's inbuilt heat and power systems can allow delivery to frigid, permanently shadowed craters, allowing payloads to survive the harsh lunar night. 

In a refreshing change of pace in an industry lately beset by delayed product delivery and insufficient supply at every step of the production process, Masten breaks from the herd by emphasizing their efforts to mitigate future disruptions. Understanding the need to outsmart the supply chain, Masten told investors it's "getting ahead of potential supply chain challenges by ordering long-lead parts for the next iteration of Xelene," adding "supply chain management is critical to avoid vendor delays, so we’ve placed multiple orders for new components, including Psionic Navigation Doppler Lidar and other critical components for our next lander."

The company's foresight continues up to sourcing equipment from multiple vendors to guarantee its schedule can be kept, and build up a store of components for future use. 

The company's 10,000 sq. ft. of space is far from adequate given the outfit's grand designs, leading them to nearly double their footprint with another fabrication building under construction. The change will be enough to build 2 concurrent Xelene craft as well as support other Masten assembly projects. The improvements should be complete by March 2022, setting up the Masten Mission 2 for launch in as little as 6 months after the launch of Mission 1 in late 2023.

FMI: www.masten.aero