Astrobotic Technology facts for kids
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| Private company | |
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| Founded | 2007 |
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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Number of employees
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130 (As of 2023[update]) |
Astrobotic Technology, Inc., often called Astrobotic, is a company in the United States. They create robots and technology for exploring the Moon and other planets. Professor Red Whittaker and his team from Carnegie Mellon University started Astrobotic in 2007. Their first big goal was to win the Google Lunar X Prize. The company is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Astrobotic launched its first mission on January 8, 2024. This mission was part of NASA's program to send commercial spacecraft to the Moon. Their Peregrine lunar lander traveled on the first flight of the Vulcan Centaur rocket. It launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Sadly, the mission had a problem and could not reach the Moon.
In 2020, NASA also chose Astrobotic for another mission. They planned for Astrobotic to take the VIPER rover to the Moon. This mission was aimed for November 2024. However, NASA announced in July 2024 that the VIPER mission was canceled.
Astrobotic's Journey to Space
Early Goals and NASA Support
In 2007, Astrobotic aimed to be the first private company to land on the Moon. They built an early spacecraft model called Red Rover. Their lander design was first named Artemis Lander, then changed to Griffin.
NASA started supporting Astrobotic in 2008. They funded studies on how to move lunar soil, called regolith. This led to ideas for finding resources on the Moon, like the Polar Excavator concept. NASA continued to give Astrobotic contracts for lunar research and technology development.
Developing Lunar Landers
In 2011, Astrobotic worked on new ways to test rovers. They developed a special device to simulate the Moon's lower gravity. This helped them prepare rovers for lunar missions.
John Thornton became the President of Astrobotic in 2012. In 2014, NASA chose Astrobotic for its Lunar CATALYST program. This program helped companies develop lunar landers.
Astrobotic redesigned its Griffin lander in 2016. They renamed it Peregrine. Airbus Defence and Space helped with the engineering for this new design. Astrobotic later decided to focus on its own missions, separate from the Google Lunar X Prize.
Partnering with NASA and Other Missions
In 2018, Astrobotic became eligible to work with NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. This program pays private companies to deliver science tools to the Moon. Astrobotic won a contract to send payloads to a lunar area called Lacus Mortis.
In 2019, Spacebit, a UK company, partnered with Astrobotic. They planned to send the first UK lunar rover Asagumo on an Astrobotic mission. Also in 2019, John Thornton was recognized as CEO of the Year.
Famous YouTuber MrBeast announced in 2021 that he would send a payload on the Peregrine lander. This payload was a hard drive filled with digital images from his fans.
Recent Events and Future Plans
The first Peregrine lander mission was launched on January 8, 2024. It flew aboard the new Vulcan Centaur rocket. Unfortunately, a fuel leak prevented the lander from reaching the Moon. The mission ended with the lander safely reentering Earth's atmosphere on January 18, 2024.
In September 2022, Astrobotic bought another space company called Masten Space Systems. Masten became Astrobotic's Propulsion and Test Department. They continue to develop advanced rocket engines.
Astrobotic also announced its ‘Luna Grid’ service in 2024. This service aims to provide continuous power on the Moon. They plan to use their landers and rovers with special solar panels for this.
Astrobotic's Space Missions
Past and Canceled Missions
- Icebreaker Mission: In 2011, Astrobotic planned a mission to the Moon's north pole with SpaceX. This mission, first called Polar Excavator and then Icebreaker, aimed to send a small rover named Polaris. The launch date kept changing, and the Griffin lander for this mission was never built. So, the Icebreaker mission was not launched.
- MoonRanger Rover: MoonRanger is a small, 13-kilogram rover. It was designed to carry science tools for NASA's CLPS program. Astrobotic and Carnegie Mellon University started developing it in 2019. MoonRanger was supposed to look for water ice and caves on the Moon. Its first planned flight was canceled in 2022 when Masten Space Systems went out of business. However, NASA announced in July 2025 that MoonRanger will now be delivered to the Moon by a Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander.
Peregrine Mission One
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Peregrine Mission One was a lunar lander built by Astrobotic. NASA chose it for the CLPS program. It launched on January 8, 2024, using a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket. The lander carried several payloads, weighing a total of 90 kilograms.
The Peregrine mission was unable to reach the Moon for a landing. It never left its orbit around Earth. The mission ended with a controlled reentry into Earth's atmosphere on January 18, 2024.
Griffin Mission One
The Griffin lander is planned to land in the Moon's south polar region. It is expected to work for 100 days after landing. NASA's VIPER rover was originally the main payload. However, the VIPER mission was canceled in 2024. Other commercial payloads are still planned for the Griffin lander. This includes the Lunar Codex's Polaris archive, which holds modern cultural items.
Griffin Mission Two
Griffin Mission Two is a planned mission. It is targeted to launch in late 2026.
CubeRover Space Robots
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CubeRovers are a new type of planetary rover. They have a standard design, much like CubeSats, which are small, standardized satellites. This makes it easier and cheaper to build new rovers. Astrobotic Technology and Carnegie Mellon University are developing this idea with help from NASA.
One of the first CubeRover designs was a rover called Iris. Students at Carnegie Mellon University developed it. Iris was planned to go to the Moon on Astrobotic's Peregrine lander. However, it was lost when the Peregrine lander reentered Earth's atmosphere and was never deployed.
CubeRover-1 is planned to be carried to the Moon on Griffin Mission One. This mission is targeted for launch no earlier than December 2025.
See also
- Exploration of Mars
- Exploration of the Moon
- Lunar rover
- Mars rover
