Forrest Meyen
CO-FOUNDER AND CSO AT LUNAR OUTPOST
AS AVID STAR TREK FAN AND SELF-DESCRIBED “space cowboy,” Forrest Meyen co-founded Lunar Outpost with more than just rovers on his mind: The Colorado-based startup is building the systems that could power a long-term human presence on the moon, from autonomous rovers to astronaut-ready vehicles. “Our vision was always to utilize the moon for the benefit of humankind,” Meyen said. That means everything from supporting space exploration to one day offloading industrial processes that harm the Earth.
The trajectory mirrors Meyen’s own path: part science, part engineering, and all-in on space. He grew up in Alaska, hooked on Star Trek: The Next Generation—especially the scenes on the bridge of the Enterprise. “Geordi LaForge and Data were the characters I really liked,” he said, sharing that his mother got him into the show.
He went on to study both mechanical and biological engineering at the University of Missouri—because he couldn’t pick just one—then earned his graduate degrees at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he designed an exoskeleton to simulate being in a spacesuit and helped develop MOXIE, the device that produced oxygen on Mars aboard the Perseverance rover.
Yes, Forrest Meyen would go to the moon himself if given the chance. His packing list would include a pogo stick to break a few records, a Bible for self-reflection, and a pumpkin seed “because I think you could grow a really big pumpkin on the moon,” he said.
HANDS-ON MENTALITY
Meyen’s first taste of entrepreneurship came at UM, with a student-run hydrogen car team. To build the vehicle, the team had to raise tens of thousands of dollars in sponsorships—an experience that primed him for his future. “You want to make the cool product,” he said. “But then there’s the other side—finding the revenue to make it sustainable.” That hands-on mentality stuck with him in the startup world, where he eventually combined his passion for engineering and space.
Before lunar mobility, Lunar Outpost made a name for itself with air quality sensors during the startup’s bootstrapping days. The sensors were originally developed to detect lunar dust in space habitats. But to generate revenue for the company, they looked for opportunities to commercialize the tech by adapting it for Earth, Meyen said. The endeavor succeeded, as Lunar Outpost won a $2 million Bloomberg Mayors Challenge prize: early revenue that funded the company’s first moon-focused efforts and caught the attention of venture capitalists.
What began with eight people has grown into a fully-fledged company of 150 employees in just four years. “It evolves very rapidly,” Meyen said. “Working with different stakeholders, growing that quickly—it’s like a brand new job every six months.” General Motors, MDA Space, Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and Leidos are all part of the Lunar Outpost team.
His favorite mission to date? Sending the company’s MAPP (Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform) rover to the moon. The 10-kilogram platform launched as part of the IM-2 mission earlier this year. The lander didn’t survive the descent, but the rover held its own. “We were still able to send data back to Earth for 2.7 hours,” Meyen said. “It was the first U.S. tele-operated rover on the moon—and the first in human history to be fully commercially funded.”
As proud as he is of that achievement, Meyen is in the middle of an even cooler mission: building what he calls a “space truck” (because it’s “more than just a little buggy”) for NASA. His firm was one of three companies selected to develop designs for a vehicle to carry Artemis mission astronauts across the moon surface. The lunar terrain vehicle can carry more than 800 kilograms, survive the moon’s harsh night conditions, operate for more than a decade—and looks like it manifested straight out of a sci-fi show.
And that’s just the beginning, Meyen said. He sees a future where Lunar Outpost is building roads, comms towers, and power systems on the moon—laying the groundwork for science, exploration, and sustainable industry. “If it’s awesome, do it,” he said. “That’s always been the mindset.”
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