Masten Space Systems pioneered suborbital payload testing and reusable vertical takeoff/landing (VTVL) rockets, logging 600+ successful flights. The team advanced precision landing, plume–surface interaction testing, propulsion R&D, and lunar technology—de-risking next-gen missions with terrestrial landers. In Sept 2022, Masten was acquired by Astrobotic Technology (a former Google Lunar XPRIZE team), carrying its innovations forward to the Moon.