Open Lunar Foundation

Founded in 2018, the Open Lunar Foundation is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a peaceful and cooperative human presence on the Moon. The organization focuses on developing open lunar infrastructure and governance frameworks through collaborative technology, policy research, and the incubation of key projects. Open Lunar operates as an independent convener, bringing together a global community of entrepreneurs, astronauts, scientists, lawyers, and engineers to address challenges related to lunar settlement, including deconfliction, data sharing, and establishing technical standards.

A core achievement is the development of the Lunar Ledger, an open-access database of lunar missions and surface activities, launched with initial cooperation from Firefly Aerospace, ispace, and Astrolab. This platform aims to increase transparency, coordination, and responsible operations as lunar activity accelerates. Beyond the Ledger, Open Lunar supports research through fellowships – currently with over 30 fellows and 70 published research papers – and actively commissions studies on critical lunar issues.

They are currently focusing research efforts on areas like lunar positioning, data standards, and environmental monitoring. Through these initiatives, the Open Lunar Foundation positions itself as a vital facilitator for sustainable lunar development and a key advocate for open, collaborative governance beyond Earth.