# Research Musing — 2026-04-12

**Research question:** Do commercial space stations (Vast, Axiom) fill the cislunar orbital waystation gap left by Gateway's cancellation, restoring the three-tier cislunar architecture commercially — or is the surface-first two-tier model now permanent?

**Belief targeted for disconfirmation:** Belief 4 — "Cislunar attractor state achievable within 30 years." Disconfirmation target: evidence that Gateway's cancellation + commercial station delays + ISRU immaturity push the attractor state timeline significantly beyond 30 years, or that the architectural shift to surface-first creates fragility (ISRU dependency) that makes the attractor state less achievable, not more.

**What I searched for:** Vast Haven-1 launch status, Axiom Station module timeline, Project Ignition Phase 1 contractor details, Artemis III/IV crewed landing timeline, ISRU technology readiness, Gateway cancellation consequences for commercial cislunar, Starfish Space Otter mission 2026 timeline, NG-3 current status.

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## Main Findings

### 1. Commercial stations (Vast, Axiom) do NOT fill the Gateway cislunar role — Direction B is FALSE

This directly answers the April 11 branching point. Both major commercial station programs are LEO platforms, not cislunar orbital nodes:

**Vast Haven-1 (delayed to Q1 2027):** Announced January 20, 2026, Haven-1 slipped from May 2026 to Q1 2027. Still completing integration phases (thermal control, life support, avionics, habitation). Launching on Falcon 9 to LEO. First Vast-1 crew mission (four astronauts, 30 days) follows in mid-2027. This is an ISS-replacement LEO research/tourism platform. No cislunar capability, no intent.

**Axiom Station PPTM (2027) + Hab One (early 2028):** At NASA's request, Axiom is launching its Payload Power Thermal Module to ISS in early 2027 (not its habitat module). PPTM detaches from ISS ~9 months later and docks with Hab One to form a free-flying two-module station by early 2028. This is explicitly an ISS-succession program — saving ISS research equipment before deorbit. Again, LEO. No cislunar mandate.

**Structural conclusion:** Direction B (commercial stations fill Gateway's orbital node role) is definitively false. Neither Vast nor Axiom is designed, funded, or positioned to serve as a cislunar waystation. The three-tier architecture (LEO → cislunar orbital node → lunar surface) is not being restored commercially. The surface-first two-tier model is the actual trajectory.

**Why this matters for the KB:** The existing "cislunar attractor state" claim describes a three-tier architecture. That architecture no longer has a government-built cislunar orbital node (Gateway cancelled) and no commercial replacement is in the pipeline. The claim needs a scope annotation: the attractor state is converging on a surface-ISRU path, not an orbital logistics path.

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### 2. Artemis timeline post-Artemis II: first crewed lunar landing pushed to Artemis IV (2028)

Post-splashdown, NASA has announced the full restructured Artemis sequence:

**Artemis III (mid-2027) — LEO docking test, no lunar landing:** NASA overhaul announced February 27, 2026. Orion (SLS) launches to LEO, rendezvous with Starship HLS and/or Blue Moon in Earth orbit. Tests docking, life support, propulsion, AxEMU spacesuits. Finalizes HLS operational procedures. Decision on whether both vehicles participate still pending development progress.

**Artemis IV (early 2028) — FIRST crewed lunar landing:** First humans on the Moon since Apollo 17. South pole. ~1 week surface stay. Two of four crew transfer to lander.

**Artemis V (late 2028) — second crewed landing.**

**KB significance:** The "crewed cislunar operations" validated by Artemis II are necessary but not sufficient for the attractor state. The first actual crewed lunar landing (Artemis IV, 2028) follows by ~2 years. This is consistent with the 30-year window, but the sequence is: flyby validation (2026) → LEO docking test (2027) → first landing (2028) → robotic base building (2027-2030) → human habitation weeks/months (2029-2032) → continuously inhabited (2032+).

**What I expected but didn't find:** No evidence that Artemis III's redesign to LEO-only represents a loss of confidence in Starship HLS. The stated reason is sequencing — validate docking procedures before attempting a lunar landing. This is engineering prudence, not capability failure.

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### 3. Project Ignition Phase 1: up to 30 CLPS landings from 2027, LTV competition

NASA's Project Ignition Phase 1 details (FY2027-2030):
- **CLPS acceleration:** Up to 30 robotic landings starting 2027. Dramatically faster than previous cadence.
- **MoonFall hoppers:** Small propulsive landers (rocket-powered jumps, 50km range) for water ice prospecting in permanently shadowed craters.
- **LTV competition:** Three contractors — Astrolab (FLEX, with Axiom Space), Intuitive Machines (Moon RACER), Lunar Outpost (Lunar Dawn, with Lockheed Martin/GM/Goodyear/MDA). $4.6B IDIQ total. Congressional pressure to select ≥2 providers.
- **Phase timeline:** Phase 1 (FY2027-2030) = robotic + tech validation. Phase 2 (2029-2032) = surface infrastructure, humans for weeks/months. Phase 3 (2032-2033+) = Blue Origin as prime for habitats, continuously inhabited.

**CLAIM CANDIDATE:** Project Ignition's Phase 1 represents the largest CLPS cadence in program history (up to 30 landings), transforming CLPS from a demonstration program into a lunar logistics baseline — a structural precursor to Phase 2 infrastructure.

**QUESTION:** With Astrolab partnering with Axiom Space on FLEX, does Axiom's LTV involvement create a pathway to integrate LEO station experience with lunar surface operations? Or is this a pure government supply chain play?

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### 4. ISRU technology at TRL 3-4 — the binding constraint for surface-first architecture

The surface-first attractor state depends on ISRU (water ice → propellant). Current status:
- Cold trap/freeze distillation methods: TRL 3-4, demonstrated 0.1 kg/hr water vapor flow. Prototype/flight design phase.
- Photocatalytic water splitting: Promising but earlier stage (requires UV flux, lunar surface conditions).
- Swarm robotics (Lunarminer): Conceptual framework for autonomous extraction.
- NASA teleconferences ongoing: January 2026 on water ice prospecting, February 2026 on digital engineering.

**KB significance:** ISRU at TRL 3-4 means operational propellant production on the lunar surface is 7-10 years from the current state. This is consistent with Phase 2 (2029-2032) being the window for first operational ISRU, and Phase 3 (2032+) for it to supply meaningful propellant. The 30-year attractor state timeline holds, but ISRU is genuinely the binding constraint for the surface-first architecture.

**Does this challenge Belief 4?** Partially. The attractor state is achievable within 30 years IF ISRU hits its development milestones. If ISRU development slips (as most deep tech development does), the surface-first path becomes more costly and less self-sustaining than the orbital-node path would have been. The three-tier architecture had a natural fallback (orbital propellant could be Earth-sourced initially); the two-tier surface-first architecture has no analogous fallback — if ISRU doesn't work, you're back to fully Earth-sourced propellant at high cost for every surface mission.

**CLAIM CANDIDATE:** The shift from three-tier to two-tier cislunar architecture increases dependency on ISRU technology readiness — removing the orbital node tier eliminates the natural fallback of Earth-sourced orbital propellant, concentrating all long-term sustainability risk in lunar surface water extraction capability.

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### 5. Starfish Space first operational Otter missions in 2026 — three contracts active

Starfish Space has three Otter vehicles launching in 2026:
- **Space Force mission** (from the April 11 $54.5M contract)
- **Intelsat/SES GEO servicing** (life extension)
- **NASA SSPICY** (Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability)

Additionally, the SDA signed a $52.5M contract in January 2026 for PWSA deorbit services (targeting 2027 launch). This is a fourth contract in the Starfish pipeline.

**KB significance from April 11:** The $110M Series B + $159M contracted backlog is confirmed by this operational picture — three 2026 missions across government and commercial buyers, with a fourth (SDA) targeting 2027. The Gate 2B signal from April 11 is further confirmed. Orbital servicing has multiple active procurement channels, not just one.

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### 6. NG-3 — NET April 16, now 18th consecutive session

No change from April 11. NG-3 targeting April 16 (NET), booster "Never Tell Me The Odds" ready for its first reflight. Still pending final pre-launch preparations. Pattern 2 (institutional timelines slipping) continues. The binary event (did the booster land?) cannot be assessed until April 17+.

**Note:** An April 14 slip to April 16 was confirmed, making this the sixth sequential date adjustment.

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## Disconfirmation Search Results: Belief 4 (Cislunar Attractor State within 30 years)

**Target:** Evidence that Gateway cancellation + commercial station delays + ISRU immaturity extend the attractor state timeline significantly or introduce fatal fragility.

**What I found:**
- Commercial stations (Vast, Axiom) are definitively NOT filling the cislunar orbital node gap — confirming the two-tier surface-first architecture.
- ISRU is at TRL 3-4 — genuine binding constraint, not trivially solved.
- Artemis IV (2028) is first crewed lunar landing — reasonable timeline, not delayed beyond 30-year window.
- Project Ignition Phase 3 (2032+) is continuously inhabited lunar base — within 30 years from now.
- The architectural shift removes fallback options, concentrating risk in ISRU.

**Does this disconfirm Belief 4?** Partial complication, not falsification. The 30-year window (from ~2025 baseline = through ~2055) still holds for the attractor state. But two structural vulnerabilities are now more visible:

1. **ISRU dependency:** Surface-first architecture has no fallback if ISRU misses timelines. Three-tier had orbital propellant as a bridge.
2. **Cislunar orbital commerce eliminated:** The commercial activity that was supposed to happen in cislunar space (orbital logistics, servicing, waystation operations) is either cancelled (Gateway) or delayed (Vast/Axiom are LEO). The 30-year attractor state includes cislunar commercial activity, but the orbital tier of that is now compressed or removed.

**Verdict:** Belief 4 is NOT FALSIFIED but needs a scope qualification. The claim "cislunar attractor state achievable within 30 years" should be annotated: the path is surface-ISRU-centric (two-tier), and the timeline is conditional on ISRU development staying within current projections. If ISRU slips, the attractor state is delayed; the architectural shift means there is no bridge mechanism available to sustain early operations while waiting for ISRU maturity.

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## Follow-up Directions

### Active Threads (continue next session)
- **NG-3 launch result (NET April 16):** TODAY is April 12, so launch is 4 days out. Next session should verify: did booster land? Was mission successful? This is the 18th-session binary event. Success closes Pattern 2's "execution gap" question; failure deepens it.
- **Artemis III LEO docking test specifics:** Was a final decision made on one or two HLS vehicles? What's the current Starship HLS ship-to-ship propellant transfer demo status? That demo is on the critical path to Artemis IV.
- **LTV contract award:** NASA was expected to select ≥2 LTV providers from the three (Astrolab, Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost). Was this award announced? Timeline was "end of 2025" but may have slipped into 2026. This is a critical Phase 1 funding signal.
- **ISRU TRL advancement:** What is the current TRL for lunar water ice extraction, specifically for the Project Ignition Phase 1 MoonFall hopper/prospecting missions? Are any CLPS payloads specifically targeting ISRU validation?
- **Axiom + Astrolab (FLEX LTV) partnership:** Does Axiom's LTV involvement (partnered with Astrolab on FLEX) represent a vertical integration play — combining LEO station operations expertise with lunar surface vehicle supply? Or is it purely a teaming arrangement for the NASA contract?

### Dead Ends (don't re-run these)
- **Commercial cislunar orbital station proposals:** Searched specifically for commercial stations positioned as cislunar orbital nodes. None exist. The "Direction B" branching point from April 11 is resolved: FALSE. Don't re-run this search.
- **Artemis III lunar landing timeline:** Artemis III is confirmed a LEO docking test only (no lunar landing). Don't search for lunar landing in the context of Artemis III — it won't be there.
- **Haven-1 2026 launch:** Confirmed delayed to Q1 2027. Don't search for a 2026 Haven-1 launch.

### Branching Points (one finding opened multiple directions)
- **ISRU as binding constraint (surface-first architecture):** Direction A — propose a new claim about the ISRU dependency risk introduced by the two-tier architectural pivot (claim candidate above). Direction B — research what specific ISRU demo missions are planned in CLPS Phase 1 to understand when TRL 5+ might be reached. **Pursue Direction B first** — can't assess the risk accurately without knowing the ISRU milestone roadmap.
- **Axiom + Astrolab FLEX LTV partnership:** Direction A — this is a vertical integration signal (LEO ops + surface ops). Direction B — this is just a teaming arrangement for a NASA contract with no strategic depth. Need to understand Axiom's stated rationale before proposing a claim. **Search for Axiom's public statements on FLEX before claiming vertical integration.**
- **Artemis IV (2028) first crewed landing + Project Ignition Phase 2 (2029-2032) overlap:** Direction A — the lunar base construction sequence overlaps with Artemis crewed missions, meaning the first permanently inhabited structure (Phase 3, 2032+) coincides with Artemis V/VI. Direction B — the overlap creates coordination complexity (who's responsible for what on surface?) that is an unresolved governance gap. **Flag to @leo as a governance gap candidate.**
