Astrobotic is a private American company specializing in space robotics and lunar missions. As a lunar logistics provider, they design and manufacture lunar landers like Peregrine and Griffin, capable of carrying payloads to the Moon's surface. Astrobotic works with NASA through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, as well as with other commercial and government partners, to facilitate space exploration and technology demonstration. The company aims to make space missions more accessible and affordable.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
Astrobotic planned to launch NASA’s VIPER rover to the Moon’s south pole in November 2024 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
The lander will also deliver two rovers: a CubeRover called Moonranger from Astrobotic and Canada’s first lunar rover through the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).
Astrobotic acquired Masten Space and may manifest payloads from its mission onto other landers as feasible.
Astrobotic's Peregrine experienced a propulsion malfunction preventing its lunar landing attempt.
Over the past two years, U.S. lunar surface mission attempts included one failure by Astrobotic Peregrine, one partial success by Intuitive Machines IM-1, and one successful landing by Firefly Blue Ghost.
Astrobotic's Griffin lander will carry the 500-kilogram FLIP rover from Astrolab instead of NASA's VIPER on its CLPS mission.
Astrobotic publicly documented that an ailing lander precluded its lunar descent attempt and provided transparent updates on the situation.
The awarded $179,600,000 CLPS task order to Firefly Aerospace is among the largest CLPS task orders to date, behind only the award to Astrobotic for its Griffin lander.
Astrobotic’s Griffin lander award was originally valued at $199,500,000 and has since grown to more than $300,000,000.
Blue Origin’s Honeybee Robotics and Astrobotic each developed one of the three LVSAT designs funded by NASA in 2022.
In one scenario, NASA assumed VIPER would launch on Astrobotic’s Griffin lander in September 2025 and estimated $104,000,000 would be needed to prepare VIPER, including $20,000,000 already allocated for fiscal year 2024 and $20,000,000 for additional Griffin risk-mitigation activities.
Bridgestone Corporation reached a collaboration agreement with Astrobotic Technology to jointly develop a lunar rover tire for the Astrobotic 24U CubeRover.
Bridgestone Corporation reached a collaboration agreement with Astrobotic Technology for joint development of a lunar rover tire on 2024-10-31.
Astrobotic launched and operated the first American lunar lander mission since the Apollo Program.
Astrobotic has been contracted for two lunar missions and has won more than 60 NASA, DoD, and commercial technology contracts worth more than $600,000,000.
Astrobotic was established in 2007 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with a propulsion and test campus in Mojave, California.
Astrobotic partnered with Armstrong Trails to test the LiDAR system’s functionality over distances unachievable in a laboratory.
Astrobotic will test its LiDAR system at the LSPG using Xodiac, Astrobotic’s vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing reusable rocket.
The topography of Armstrong Trails allowed Astrobotic engineers to test LiDAR using targets placed up to a mile away.
The Deep Space Network managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory completed end-to-end test communications with Astrobotic’s Griffin lunar lander.