Tec-Masters, Inc. Announces Strategic Partnership with Orbit Beyond for CT-4 Lunar Lander Mission

By: PRLog

October 07, 2025 at 23:09 PM EDT

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Oct. 7, 2025 - PRLog -- Tec-Masters, Inc. is pleased to announce a new partnership with Orbit Beyond for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) CT-4 lunar lander mission, where Tec-Masters will lead the Assembly, Integration, and Test (AI&T) of the lander and its scientific payloads. Tec-Masters will be responsible for system integration, environmental qualification, functional testing, and full systems validation. Orbit Beyond will supply the lander's architecture (structure, propulsion, guidance, navigation, and control subsystems) and will lead mission design, operations, communications, data management, and software development, alongside other industry collaborators. The commercial lunar lander is specifically engineered for sustained operations through the two-week lunar night—a critical capability for future CLPS and science missions targeting the Moon's south pole. The lander incorporates an integrated fuel-cell-based power system, autonomous thermal regulation, and mission management software designed to maintain system functionality in the absence of sunlight and during extreme thermal cycles approaching –170 °C. This architecture enables continuous science, data return, and communications across lunar day–night periods.

Tec-Masters will utilize its fabrication and R&D facilities, along with its Tele-Science Center which will provide continuous payload monitoring and support throughout launch, lunar transit, orbit, descent and landing, and surface operations. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) has signed a letter of intent stating that, if the Orbit Beyond/Tec-Masters team is selected for CT-4, MSFC intends to make available key test infrastructure—such as XRCF thermal vacuum chambers, EMI/EMC facilities, ISO8 clean room facilities, robotics labs, and structural/environmental test labs—and to provide subject-matter expertise to help align with NASA standards and mission assurance protocols.

The CT-4 mission is part of NASA's CLPS program, intended to support more frequent, cost-effective delivery of science and technology payloads to the Moon. The mission will carry a suite of scientific instruments designed to probe lunar geology, thermal properties, volatiles, and exosphere behavior at the south pole, enabling new insight into resource distribution and surface evolution. With its capability to survive the lunar night, Orbit Beyond's lander will extend data collection beyond daylight hours—doubling the mission's science return by observing thermal cycles, dust dynamics, and volatile exchanges across diurnal boundaries.

During integration and testing phases, the partners will execute overlapping test campaigns, rigorously manage interfaces, and leverage both NASA and commercial assets to stay on schedule for hardware delivery by February 2030 and a planned landing on the south pole of the moon in August 2030. The collaboration leverages Tec-Masters' extensive experience in spacecraft integration and mission operations, combined with Orbit Beyond's precision landing and systems architecture, and MSFC's deep test infrastructure and mission assurance capabilities, to establish a repeatable and resilient platform for long-duration lunar surface missions. Together, the team aims to deliver CT-4 on time, maximize scientific return, and set a new benchmark for commercial lunar mission execution.

This partnership harnesses Tec-Masters' AI&T capabilities to integrate advanced spacecraft systems and scientific instruments with Orbit Beyond's lander and operations expertise — building CT-4 for reliable, high-performance delivery and maximum science return," said Reggie Spivey, COO of Tec-Masters.

"We regard this mission as a defining moment for Tec-Masters as we bridge our NASA/DoD experience with commercial lunar delivery" said Marvin Carroll, CEO of Tec-Masters.

"Orbit Beyond is honored to work alongside Tec-Masters to advance lunar logistics, science delivery, and infrastructure," said Siba Padhi, CEO of Orbit Beyond.

Tec-Masters, Inc. (Huntsville, AL) is a HUBZone-certified company with a long record of performance supporting NASA, the Department of Defense, and commercial space efforts. The company has delivered more than 710 flight hardware items, integrated and tested over 85 ISS scientific payloads, and supported more than 60,000 hours of on-orbit operations. Tec-Masters currently performs integration, testing, and sustaining engineering for the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) and Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG) aboard the ISS and owns and operates the commercial MaRVIn microgravity research platform. In addition, Tec-Masters integrates and operates the KERMIT facility and the Ring Shear Drop (RSD) investigation on the ISS. The company has also successfully designed, manufactured, tested, integrated, and operated numerous Shuttle and ISS investigations, including PEP/WCI, SUBSA, PFMI, PCIM, TABOOS, RSD-IBP-2, and others. Its full capability set spans systems integration, environmental testing, mission operations, flight hardware and software DDT&E, R&D, and real-time payload monitoring through its Tele-Science Center. By combining NASA and defense-grade rigor with the agility required in commercial space, Tec-Masters is uniquely positioned to lead the AI&T of complex missions such as CLPS CT-4. Learn more about Tec-Masters at https://www.tecmasters.com/post/tec-masters-inc-announces-strategic-partnership-with-orbit-beyond-for-ct-4-lunar-lander-mission or follow Tec-Masters on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/company/tec-masters-inc./

About Orbit Beyond -- Orbit Beyond, Inc. is a lunar transportation and infrastructure company developing missions to deliver science and technology payloads to the Moon for government and commercial customers. The company is building a repeatable mission architecture centered on a precision-landing lander and on-surface services including mobility-as-a-service, data storage & edge computing, continuous power for lunar night survival, and 4G/LTE connectivity. Orbit Beyond leads lander architecture, mission design and operations, communications, data handling, and software, and works with experienced industry partners and established test facilities. Its planned missions target high-value south-polar sites to expand scientific return and accelerate a sustainable lunar economy through reliable transport, robust operations, and high-value data products.

NASA MSFC has expressed its intent to collaborate with the Orbit Beyond/Tec-Masters team if they are selected for CT-4, providing access to test infrastructure—thermal vacuum chambers, EMI/EMC labs, structural test stands, robotics labs, hot fire test stands—and subject-matter experts in propulsion, structural dynamics, GNC, thermal systems, and mission assurance. This underpins the CT-4 effort with world-class test infrastructure and experienced subject-matter experts.

Media Contact
Reggie Spivey, COO
***@tecmasters.com
(256) 830-4000

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