I’ve purchased another MoonBox payload from Astrobotic.
That being said, there are caveats.
CAVEAT 1: The MoonBox payload is for “a future mission” with Astrobotic and there are zero details about what that mission might be… mostly because Astrobotic does not know. There has been a mission on the books for some time that’s like Peregrine’s Big Brother (Griffin), but it is very unclear when (or if) Griffin will fly and what payloads it will carry (there may be no MoonBox). The entire MoonBox program may get shut down. Astrobotic may get shut down (not likely, but possible). There is just a tremendous amount of uncertainty right now, and the terms & conditions on the payload I just purchased are very clear that it’s nonrefundable whether there’s ever any mission at all. But that’s part of why I bought it: I wanted Astrobotic to know that I still believed in its future, and I was willing to slap some cash on the table to prove it. So, if Astrobotic returns the moon, and they’re taking MoonBox customers (and they have room for us), we’ll be on that flight.
CAVEAT 2: I’m not interested in sending WOTM on any other moon landers. This project was always tied to Peregrine, and I see Griffin (or future Astrobotic missions) as “Peregrine, Attempt #2”. So, it makes sense to me to try again with another Astrobotic lander, but if Astrobotic goes out of business or future attempts are unsuccessful, I think that’s the right time to say “we tried” and to let Writers on the Moon be part of those historical (and ground-breaking) attempts. There’s been a lot of confusion about “backups” on various other landers (including other payloads that might be going on Griffin), and I want to be clear: Writers on the Moon will only return to the moon via the payload I just purchased through Astrobotic. And only as the original lunar time capsule we shipped to Astrobotic in 2021. In other words, I’m not adding anything to the digital payload (obviously the physical payload will have to be recreated). And WOTM will not be carried as a “backup” on Lunar Codex. Folks are 100% free to join other projects (or make your own!) but this project, Writers on the Moon, will only go for a second try as originally comprised, if Astrobotic makes another attempt and they have room for us.
All that said, this is very much a “wait and see” situation. It’s likely to be a while before we know when Astrobotic’s next mission will be. I will certainly let people know as soon as I do!
All the best,
Sue
