XCOR, Masten Team Up

XCOR Aerospace, which builds liquid oxygen/methane rocket engines, and Masten Space Systems, which is developing the expertise to allow it to soft-land probes, are teaming up to offer themselves as prime contractors to NASA for future missions to land robotic craft on the Moon, Mars, or asteroids. The two companies, both based in Mojave, California, think that President Obama's new plan for NASA, which stresses commercializing manned spaceflight to low Earth orbit, could favor them if the same principle is extended to unmanned programs. Indeed, if one goal of the new approach is to build a robust space industry, NASA should reach beyond the aerospace giants and support the growth of smaller, capable companies.

XCOR and Masten are not depending solely on contracts from NASA for the success of their joint venture, however. They note several nations have expressed interest in lunar exploration specifically and space exploration generally. They also believe a private market for their services and expertise will soon begin to develop.