Crescent Space (Lockheed Martin)

Crescent Space (Lockheed Martin)

Crescent Space (Lockheed Martin)

A deep space infrastructure company. Crescent provides critical services for lunar missions and beyond.

Created: 2023-07-14

Updated: 2024-03-02

Company - Crescent Space (Lockheed Martin)

Founded
Country
2023
USA
Funding
Yes, ?
Website
Crescent Space
Crescent Space (Lockheed Martin)

Product/Service - Parsec

Classification
Space Utilities
Category
In-Space Communications Relay
Lunar Navigation
Fields
Moon
Status
Development
First launch
2025

Lunar communications and navigation services

Communication and navigation are fundamental to lunar science, exploration and development. Crescent makes this common infrastructure available as-a-service for all missions.

Crescent leverages Lockheed Martin’s technical heritage and experience to ensure mission success, while also serving our customers with agility and operating an efficient and reliable network.

Crescent lowers the barrier of entry for customers looking to explore, develop and do business on and around the Moon, opening up new opportunities for commercial growth in space.

Parsec

The Parsec service uses a system of small satellites working in unison to allow for seamless connection between the Earth and the people and assets on the lunar surface. These satellites create an orbiting relay network that provides complete communication and navigation coverage to meet the needs of all lunar missions.

The communication link between lunar assets and the Earth is controlled by the network to allow mission planners to focus on operations. Mission planners can have confidence that the network’s end-to-end communication services will deliver their data back to Earth securely and efficiently.

Astronauts and other lunar systems can rely on the Parsec network’s navigation capabilities to keep missions on target and for support when courses must change. The interoperable nodes work together to act as a lunar positioning system, informing those on the surface of their exact location, hidden hazards and even how to get back to base.

Knowing before going is critical to crew safety. Future astronauts can rest easy as the service will be ready before they take their first steps on the Moon. The Parsec network will be operational by 2025, with additional nodes added thereafter to support growth of the lunar economy.

Lockheed Martin Corporation hereby seeks launch and operational authority for 230 lunar surface space stations that would communicate with each other; Lockheed Martin's lunar orbit satellites branded Parsec and other authorized satellites; and/or Earth.

DARPA LunA-10 Program Study, 2023-2024

To this end, DARPA has selected 14 companies for the 10-Year Lunar Architecture (LunA-10) Capability Study, which aims to catalyze the setup of a future civil lunar framework for peaceful U.S. and international use. LunA-10 seeks to study the rapid development of technology concepts for a series of shareable, scalable systems that can operate jointly, creating monetizable services for future lunar users.

News, Research, Projects and Patents

Title Type Date Summary
Lockheed Martin makes a big bet on commercial space and the Moon News 2023-04-11

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