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| Company type | Private company |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | 2007 |
| Founder | John P. Thornton Red Whittaker  |
| Headquarters | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Key people |
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| Products |
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Number of employees | 130 (As of 2023[update]) |
| Website | www |
Astrobotic Technology, Inc., commonly referred to as Astrobotic,[1] is an American private company that is developing space robotics technology for lunar and planetary missions. It was founded in 2007 by Carnegie Mellon professor Red Whittaker and his associates with the goal of winning the Google Lunar X Prize.[2] The company is based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their first launch occurred on January 8, 2024,[3] as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The launch carried the company's Peregrine lunar lander on board the first flight of the Vulcan Centaur rocket from Florida's Space Force Station LC-41.[4] The mission was unable to reach the Moon for a soft or hard landing.[5] On June 11, 2020, Astrobotic received a second contract for the CLPS program. NASA would pay Astrobotic US$199.5 million to take the VIPER rover to the Moon, targeting a landing in November 2024.[6] In July 2024, NASA announced that VIPER had been cancelled.[citation needed]
- ^ Foust, Jeff (January 18, 2024). "Astrobotic confirms Peregrine reentry plans". SpaceNews. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
- ^ Krovel, Trond (December 10, 2007). "Astrobotic Technology and Raytheon Collaborate to Pursue Google Lunar X Prize". Astrobotic Technology (Press release). Lunar Explorers Society. Archived from the original on November 21, 2009. Retrieved February 14, 2008.
- ^ "NASA Sets Coverage for ULA, Astrobotic Artemis Robotic Moon Launch - NASA". Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 7, 2024.
- ^ Chang, Kenneth (January 7, 2024). "Vulcan Rocket's Inaugural Launch Carries Moon Lander to Space - Here's what you need to know about United Launch Alliance and the robotic lunar spacecraft it is sending to orbit". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
- ^ "Doomed US lunar lander now headed for Earth: company". Phys.Org. United Kingdom. Agence France-Presse. January 14, 2024. Archived from the original on January 15, 2024. Retrieved January 15, 2024.
- ^ "NASA Replans CLPS Delivery of VIPER to 2024 to Reduce Risk". NASA. July 18, 2022. Archived from the original on July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.