Space Exploration

Welcome to my space systems research home page. Here you can learn about upcoming, current, and past space flight programs I have worked on. Upcoming missions include Lunar Voyage 1, the first mission where Lunar Outpost's MAPP rover will explore Shackelton Connecting Ridge near the Lunar South Pole. MOXIE is a current mission that is currently operating on Mars. Past programs projects include my Ph.D. research on the MOXIE payload for the Mars 2020 rover, developing spacecraft structures at Blue Origin, planning launch operations for Alaska Aerospace. and avionics work on the Sierra Nevada Dream Chaser.
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NASA Administrator Senator Bill Nelson Hand Lunar Outpost the First Check in History for a Space Resource Contract

Current Missions

Lunar Voyage 1

Lunar Voyage 1 is Lunar Outpost's first mission to the lunar surface. This mission, to take place in Q4 of 2023, will be the first rover exploration of the lunar south pole. Our rover, the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) will be carrying a number of engineering and science payloads on a voyage across to the lunar surface. Our flagship customer is Nokia and their lunar 4G/LTE network technology. We will be testing communications and signal strength and we drive across the surface of the moon. We will also be taking two payloads from MIT, a tiny R2D2 like robot that will drive along the roof of MAPP taking temperature measurements, and the RESOURCE camera, a 3D LiDAR camera that will take depth images of lunar discoveries.
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The Lunar Outpost MAPP Rover Flight Spare for Lunar Voyage 1 to the Moon's Shackleton Connecting Ridge.

MOXIE

The Mars Oxygen In-situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) is a currently in operation on the surface of mars. MOXIE is a part of the NASA Mars Perseverance Rover mission. The goal of MOXIE is to test and validate technology for the extraction of oxygen from the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Mars. This technology will enable future exploration of mars by eliminating the need to bring oxygen from Earth to use in rocket propellant and life support.
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Dr. Meyen Testing MOXIE Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells in 2015
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MOXIE is lowered into the Mars Perseverance Rover

Past Missions

Copyright 2015-2023 Forrest E. Meyen
Mars Curiosity Rover Image Credit: NASA