WEEK OF MARCH 20, 2025
VOLUME 80 | ISSUE 22
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Lunar Outpost’s moon mission goes sideway
CULTURE
Spacecraft carrying MAPP rover lands on its side, preventing deployment BY RYLEE DUNN RDUNN@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
PUNCHING HIS TICKET
Jodi Kammerzell, administrator and local area director for the Adams County Workforce and Business Center. The county has three work force centers where laid off workers can get help getting services, including getting lined up for unemployment checks and assessments to help land new jobs, Kammerzell said. “We have all kinds of workshops available for them… there are plenty options for these individuals,” she said. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment also offers Rapid Response workforce services, guidance and information related to restructuring of downsizing, Kammerzell said. Rapid Response help is offered within 24 hours of an announced layoff, she said.
Arvada-based company Lunar Outpost’s attempt at making history by landing the first-ever commercial rover on the moon hit a snag upon arrival, as the spacecraft carrying the rover landed on its side, making it impossible for the rover to be deployed. Lunar Outpost’s MAPP rover was carried by Intuitive Machine’s Athena Spacecraft, which landed about 5 degrees from the Lunar South Pole on March 6 after launching on the SpaceX Falcon 9 on Feb. 26. After the touchdown, however, there were some technical challenges. Caroline Cammarano, a member of Lunar Outpost’s communication’s team, said that although the rover survived the journey to the moon, it was unable to drive on the lunar surface due to the Athena’s landing orientation. “Our Lunar Voyage 1 MAPP rover successfully made it to the Moon, collected data from the lunar surface and in transit, and proved MAPP was ready to drive!” Cammarano said. “Intuitive Machines landing on its side prevented MAPP’s deployment. “Our data paints a clear picture that MAPP survived the landing attempt and would have driven on the lunar surface and achieved our mission objectives had it been given the opportunity,” Cammarano continued. Teams are able to communicate with the machine, said Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines, which provided the Athena spacecraft. “We’ll just have to do the reconstruction and figure out exactly what is the attitude and location, and then we will get on with the rest of the mission,” he said at a NASA press conference. During the press conference, Altemus said he believes that the machine is in the vicinity of the landing site. They are waiting for pictures from above, which will come in the next couple of days, to confirm their exact location.
SEE LAYOFFS, P7
SEE OUTPOST, P2
P10
SPORTS Layoff notices have been issued for Meati Foods in Thornton in May, but the company is hoping new investments will stop them. MONTE WHALEY
Thornton alternative meat maker issues layoff notice
Meati Foods may be forced to lay off 150 workers and shutter its plant BY MONTE WHALEY MWHALEY@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
STATE BASKETBALL PLAYOFFS
P14
2025
VOTE NOW March 1st - April 15th
The City of Thornton along with Adams County and the state are rushing to provide a soft landing for the 150 or so employees who may lose their jobs at Meati Foods. Meati Foods, whose production facility is in Thornton produces high-protein, high-fiber and nutrient-dense meats using mycelium, a muscular fungal root structure as its single main ingredient, according to BizWest. Meati officials stated on March 7 that they may have to lay off 150 people and possibly shutter the Thornton facility, saying the company’s lender “unexpectedly removed cash from our accounts and took control of the remaining cash reserves on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, and the action was not reasonably foreseeable.”
VOICES: 8 | CULTURE: 10 | SPORTS: 14
The company stated in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice filed March 7 with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, that “based on this action we do not have sufficient funding to continue operating. The result of the lender’s unexpected action is that we have to shut down our manufacturing facility.” The company said the “first termination” at the Thornton site will occur on May 6. Jolt to the workforce
Company officials said they were working on getting new financing to keep the Thornton plant running. The Meati announcement jolted local officials, who vowed to marshal resources to get help to Meati employees and managers. “For Adams County, we haven’t had a big layoff like this for quite a while,” said
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