Created: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2024-07-09
Company - Astrobotic
Product/Service - Peregrine, Griffin
- Classification
- Cargo Transportation & Landers
- Category
- Commercial Lunar Lander
Transport Service (LEO-Moon)
Commercial Lander
- Fields
- Moon
- Status
- Development
- First launch
- 2024
Peregrine
- CAPACITY 120 KG
- POWER: 1.0 W/KG
- BANDWIDTH 10 KBPS/KG
- PAYLOAD OPERATION 1 LUNAR DAY (192 HOURS)
- LANDING PRECISION 100 METERS
- PRICE TO SURFACE $1.2M/KG
- PRICE TO LUNAR ORBIT $300K/KG
Astrobotic gets payloads working on ailing Peregrine lander, SpaceNews, 2024-01-11.
- Astrobotic, which is working to squeeze as much life as possible out of its crippled Peregrine lunar lander, says it has obtained data from many of the payloads on the spacecraft.
- The company said late Jan. 11 that engineers now estimated the spacecraft had enough propellant for 48 hours of operations, an increase it credited to a slowing leak rate.
Griffin
- CAPACITY 500 KG
- POWER 1.0 W/KG
- BANDWIDTH 10 KBPS/KG
- PAYLOAD OPERATION 100 METERS
- PRICE TO SURFACE $1.2M/KG
- PRICE TO LUNAR ORBIT $300K/KG
News
Next step towards the Moon: LZH and TU Berlin partner with Astrobotic, 2024-04-09.
- In the MOONRISE project , researchers are working to bring 3D printing to the Moon.
- The Laser Zentrum Hannover e.V. (LZH) has contracted with Astrobotic for a flight to the Moon, set to take place in late 2026.
- LZH plans to equip Astrobotic’s lander with a compact, sturdy laser as payload. This laser will melt lunar dust, known as regolith, creating 2D structures on the lunar surface. A camera will capture the process, enabling researchers on Earth to analyze it through an intelligent image processing system. Artificial intelligence (AI) will not only help to find a suitable location on the lunar surface for laser melting, it shall also enable quality control of the printed structures.
- As the project gears up for its lunar mission in two years, LZH continues its research on Earth in collaboration with project partner TU Berlin, focusing on optimizing the laser melting process. Researchers are experimenting with synthetic regolith produced by TU Berlin and train the AI for lunar deployment.
Status Comment / Notes
Product/Service - LunaGrid
- Classification
- Space Utilities
- Category
- Resources - Energy
Lunar Power Service
- Fields
- Moon
Nuclear Power
- Status
- Development
- First launch
- Not announced
- The power would be generated by Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) arrays, solar arrays that are deployed vertically and are optimized for operations at the lunar poles, where the sun is always low on the horizon. Astrobotic won a $6.2 million award from NASA Aug. 23 to develop and test prototypes of that solar array, one of three the agency made for similar technologies.
- The power would be distributed from the VSAT arrays to users through tethered rovers, based on the company’s CubeRover design. Wireless charging technology would then transfer the power from the rover to the customer’s surface asset. The system would start off generating 10 kilowatts of power but can be scaled up over time. The VSAT arrays will themselves be mounted on rovers and can move as needed.
- LunaGrid, Thornton said, is the culmination of technologies that have been in development for years by the company, which is best known for the commercial lunar landers it is building for NASA and other customers.
- The first operational LunaGrid system is planned for 2028, but initial elements could be ready sooner. “It could be deployed mid-decade, in time for an Artemis astronaut to actually be able to plug into it,” he said. “This is not a long-term technology that needs continued development.”
- Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh, $34.6 million
- Astrobotic will demonstrate the robotic deployment of one kilometer of cable and power transmission through that cable across the lunar surface. A CubeRover delivered by Astrobotic’s Griffin lander will deploy the power line. The demonstration will advance power generation and distribution technologies, including – a high-voltage power converter, cable, and cable reel system.
- Astrobotic has been selected by NASA for two Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contracts that will assist with the development of reliable power infrastructure on the lunar surface, a key element in establishing long-term human and robotic operations on the Moon.
- The first Phase II contract is for the development of low mass, high power cables for long distance power distribution on the lunar surface.
- The second contract represents a collaboration between Astrobotic and Stottler-Henke for the development and testing of fault detection utilizing Astrobotic’s Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) and Stottler-Henke’s MAIFLOWER algorithm.
Wireless Charger
125W space rated wireless charger system.
Westinghouse and Astrobotic Team to Power Outer Space with eVinci™ Microreactor Technology
Status Comment / Notes
Created: 2023-02-19
Updated: 2024-07-25
Product/Service
- Classification
- In-Space Manufacturing
- Category
- In-Space Manufacturing
- Status
- Concept
- First launch
- Not announced
Printing of solar cells on the lunar surface.
Status Comment / Notes
Created: 2023-02-19
Updated: 2023-03-02
Sources
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News, Research, Projects and Patents
Title | Type | Date | Summary |
---|---|---|---|
A New Private Moon Race Kicks Off Soon | Article | 2022-08-01 | |
ULA’s new rocket Vulcan projected to launch in late 2021 | News | 2020-12-17 | > Tory Bruno said he is confident that Vulcan and first customer — Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander — will be on the launch pad “by the end of next year.” |
Astrobotic wins NASA contract to develop charging system for moon rovers | News | 2020-11-17 | > Lunar tech company Astrobotic has won a $5.8 million contract from NASA to develop a system to wirelessly charge rovers and other devices on the moon. |
Astrobotic delivered its first "CubeRover" to NASA's Kennedy Space Center | News | 2020-10-01 | > Fulfilling the company's $750,000 contract to develop a lightweight planetary rover for the agency to test in lunar-like terrain. |