Open Lunarians,

 

NASA’s announcement of a 100 kW lunar reactor this month is a reminder of how urgently coordination on the Moon is needed. With power and infrastructure planned, intentional design on how sites are shared and how to avoid “keep-out” zones is essential. That’s exactly what our 2025 Fellowship on Designated Lunar Areas has been exploring, and we’re excited to share that work publicly in the coming weeks.

 

We’re also excited to announce our 2026 Fellowship applications, developed with experts across science, governance, and industry. In October at IAC in Sydney, we’ll launch the Lunar Ledger with commercial partners and host a hands-on governance simulation on nuclear power. It’s a big moment for our projects and community. Read below to learn more and understand how you can get involved.

 

Rachel Williams, Executive Director

 

 

 

As we seek to explore new approaches to governance, coordination, sustainability, and social institutions in space, we must learn from what is already out there. This Fellowship brings together research on space technology, science, strategic ecosystem analysis, and policy frameworks, translating early ideas into actionable concepts. Read about our 2026 research priorities here.

 

Fellows work closely with our core team to advance Open Lunar’s mission—building a cooperative and sustainable lunar future. Applications are due by October 10. Learn more about the 2026 Fellowships and apply at our website!

 

 

 

Date & Time: Tuesday, 30 September | 14:00–16:00 AEST

 

This year at the IAC in Sydney, Open Lunar Foundation, Secure World Foundation, Dark Matter Labs, and the Foresight Institute are co-hosting a near-future governance simulation to test governance of lunar sites.

 

Set at the fictional Aurora Basin near the lunar South Pole, the scenario places participants in a volatile environment with ambiguously defined safety zones, dual-use infrastructure, and the controversial deployment of nuclear power.

 

Participants will step into roles representing rival space powers, emerging space nations, and media/political actors to explore:

We are currently finalising our participant list and are looking for a small number of additional participants.

 

📩 Interested in joining us? Submit your interest via our Google Form.
 

We’ll review applications and curate invitations over the next two weeks. Selected participants will receive further details, including the pre-event virtual orientation and role briefings.

 

 

This month marks another big step forward for the Ledger as we begin onboarding our first commercial partners. These early adopters aren't just users, they're co-creators, helping us develop and refine the protocols that will define safe, transparent lunar operations for the entire industry. Their real-world input on mission data sharing, coordination standards, and operational transparency will shape the foundation for responsible lunar activity as we move toward a more crowded cislunar environment. If you are a lunar operator wanting to steward information sharing, reach out to us at contact@openlunar.org

 

 

 

 

Open Lunar fellows Ashley Kosak and Philip Linden have received an Open Lunar grant to launch the Cubesat Atomic Clock Ensemble project. The work builds on a flight-ready timekeeping card developed in collaboration with Rochester Institute of Technology and now turns to networking multiple small clocks into an ensemble to create stability, redundancy, and resilience for lunar missions.

 

By proving that many modest clocks can perform together as one, the project advances open, distributed infrastructure for lunar navigation and science. Philip will debut the roadmap at the 2025 International IEEE Symposium on Precision Clock Synchronization for Measurement, Control, & Communication in Ottawa, Canada, this fall. 

 

 

 

Image: ESA

This century has seen countries worldwide explore our Moon with new and varied technological capabilities. In recent years, Japan’s SLIM spacecraft achieved the world’s most precise robotic lunar landing while China demonstrated the first remote docking and undocking of spacecraft in lunar orbit for the Chang’e 5 sample return mission. This year Firefly’s Blue Ghost Moon lander, part of NASA’s CLPS program, got the first terrestrial navigation signal fixes all the way at the Moon. More such capabilities that have been demonstrated, and those which aren’t yet, need to come together for humans to build and sustain permanent outposts on our Moon for the exploration of itself and worlds beyond.

 

Advanced capabilities that Moon missions aim to demonstrate through the remainder of this decade include rover autonomy and advanced mobility, polar solar and nuclear power, oxygen extraction, resource utilization, advanced navigation and communications, and in-space refueling. Achieving these can—collectively—power the foundational elements of Moonbases while representing a huge feasibility leap in having permanent outposts across the Solar System. However, these technological milestones, while necessary, are insufficient in themselves to achieve the goal. They need to work in tandem with several other technologies which have all gone unachieved in past Moon missions: exploring water ice, using advanced landing sensors, setting precedence for resource utilization, and smart survival during lunar nights.

 

These key technological milestones have been missed because reliably landing and operating on the Moon remains hard. About half the world’s lunar landing attempts still fail. And most missions get delayed. As illustrated by ISRO Chandrayaan 3 and Firefly Blue Ghost, a truly comprehensive testing regime for landers during their development is non-optional for success. While private companies and emerging space nations always battle cost and schedule, all leading to greater risks, the Open Lunar Foundation has noted fundamental issues with this approach across information and technical data sharing. This has prompted Open Lunar and like-minded organizations to push for collaborative initiatives in consultation with the UN like the Lunar Ledger and Lunar Information Sharing 101. Only then do we gain more than the sum of our parts.

 

 

Open Lunar is hiring a part-time Design and Communications Contractor! We are looking for a design professional to bring creativity, organisation, and consistency to Open Lunar’s digital presence. This role blends design, publishing, and light content support to keep our communications clear, polished, and aligned with our brand. It’s a flexible position ideal for someone with strong design skills who enjoys working across multiple platforms and contributing to a mission-driven team. Learn more about the role and apply here!

We're proud to announce more members of the Lunar Ledger Advisory Board! A diverse group of leaders whose backgrounds span space law, governance, science, research, and hands-on mission experience. Their stewardship is helping to build a resilient, transparent tool shaped by and for the next generation of lunar missions. 

Below, you can read about three of our advisors, and learn more about the full board here.

 

We're thrilled to spotlight one of our key supporters: Founders Pledge!

Their generous contribution directly advances our mission to make lunar exploration open and collaborative, and we're deeply grateful for their partnership in this work. The next chapter of human exploration is being written on the Moon right now. Help Open Lunar ensure it's a story of cooperation, not competition.

Our work is only possible because of supporters like you. Every donation—no matter the size—helps the Open Lunar Foundation build a framework for sustainable, equitable lunar development.

Ready to shape the future of space exploration? Consider making a gift today! 🚀 

 

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