Terrestrial Landers

World Experts in VTVL

Masten has demonstrated more than 600 successful flight operations across five vertical takeoff and vertical landing vehicles. These reusable rockets help mature precision landing systems, conduct plume-surface interaction tests, and validate next-generation space technologies for NASA, defense, and commercial customers. The test flights we conduct retire risk and advance technology readiness for missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Xogdor

Currently under development, Xogdor is Masten’s 6th-generation vertical takeoff and vertical landing vehicle and our most advanced rocket yet! Powered by a 6,000 lbf turbopump-fed liquid oxygen/liquid methane engine, Xogdor will test entry, descent, and landing systems and other space technologies to enable precision landings on the Moon and Mars. The vehicle offers more advanced payload accommodations, is capable of supersonic speeds, and can also be used for point-to-point payload transportation.

Xodiac

Xodiac is Masten’s 5th-generation vehicle in our line of terrestrial landers with 100+ successful flights. Xodiac has been in service since 2015 and routinely flies payloads on suborbital trajectories to reduce risk and provide truth data to technology developers. Precision landing and hazard avoidance technologies are routine beneficiaries of Xodiac’s flight tests. Xodiac takes off and lands vertically, is fully reusable, and can fly multiple times a day supported by a small, agile team.

Xombie

Xombie is the oldest vehicle in Masten’s fleet of terrestrial landers. It first flew in 2009 and now holds the world record with 227 rocket-powered VTVL flights. Xombie is currently in semi-retirement with Xodiac taking most of the terrestrial flight load, but Xombies never really die… you may see Xombie rise again.

Other Vehicles

Xoie, Xaero, and Xaero-B are other terrestrial vehicles from our family of reusable rockets. Xoie won the NASA-funded Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander Challenge in 2009, expending the same ∆V as a rocket descending to the lunar surface from lunar orbit and demonstrating reusability. Xaero and Xaero-B were used to demonstrate higher altitude flight operations that informed Masten’s ConOps for small, agile launch teams.