Managing Complex International Freight Movements for Nasa’s Moon Mission Communication Needs

Challenge

With a mission to solve the most complex engineering and information technology challenges, Aerodyne Industries serves as a premier resource for many aerospace, defense, and government agencies in need of efficient service and highly skilled project management. Notably, this engineering firm has a specialized program dedicated to supporting NASA operations across eight centers.

When NASA embarked on its latest campaign, Artemis Generation, to revisit the moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to inspire a new generation of explorers, Aerodyne provided key elements of the innovation needed for this deep space project. The task involved working with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA to transport highly sophisticated antenna parts from Spain to the US – a critical component of the Artemis mission communications.

Aerodyne needed a reliable 3PL freight management company to help facilitate international freight forwarding from a manufacturer in Europe and domestic transportation from an ocean port to a remote location in Southern California.

Solution

As a leading international freight forwarder with 100+ years of experience, NXTPoint Logistics collaborated with Aerodyne and the manufacturer to design a tailored solution that would handle shipments seamlessly. Early on, our consultative approach helped identify practical solutions for transporting their sensitive technology by analyzing CAD drawings. This enabled us to recommend right-sized shipping containers, preventing excessive shipping costs.

Traveling from Spain to California, the antenna was disassembled at the manufacturer and shipped in separate containers at different times throughout the year. Because some parts were too long to move in traditional open top containers or flat racks, we helped obtain the required specialized vessel permits and worked with the domestic drayage providers to move these oversized pieces of equipment from the port to the destination.

Amid impending port strikes, Panama Canal congestion, and the ongoing Suez Canal/Red Sea crisis, we successfully negotiated the best available international freight shipping rates with ocean freight carriers. Upon domestic arrival, our expert drayage logistics team coordinated timely delivery of every shipment from two different Southern California ports to NASA’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in Fort Irwin, CA.

Results

NXTPoint Logistics’ insight-driven container recommendations and logistics oversight helped the Aerodyne Industries save thousands in shipping costs.

Fast Facts

• NASA Deep Space – Artemis Generation
• $1.2 million project
• Timeframe: October ’23 – August ‘24
• Ocean and air freight shipments
• Freight containers: Flat rack, open top, high-cube, MAFI

Key Services

• Drayage logistics
• International freight forwarding
• Domestic transportation
• Domestic transportation