Astrobotic Technology

By Mark Carreau
Astrobotic is conducting prelaunch testing to ensure a safe and precise landing of its Griffin-1 lander at the lunar south pole.
Space Exploration

By Mark Carreau
Astrobotic is progressing on multiple fronts in preparation for its Griffin-1 commercial lunar lander’s inaugural mission in 2026.
Space Exploration

By Garrett Reim
American Honda Motor Co. plans to study integrating its regenerative fuel cell system with Astrobotic’s Vertical Solar Array Technology for long-term operations on the Moon.
Space Exploration

By Mark Carreau
Astrobotic has reached a milestone under an agreement with NASA to deploy 500 m of ultralight cable across the lunar surface.
Space Exploration

By Garrett Reim
Astrobotic says it has successfully completed flight model acceptance testing of its lunar wireless charging system.
Space Exploration

By Irene Klotz
IM’s first Nova-C lander, named Odysseus, touched down near the lunar south pole’s Malapert A crater on Feb. 22, 2024.
Space Exploration

By Mark Carreau
The agency announced Feb. 3 the next in a multistep strategy in which it would provide VIPER to a potential U.S. partner.
Commercial Space

By Vivienne Machi
President Trump’s first administration launched the Artemis program to send humans back to the Moon. His second term may pivot the focus to Mars.
Space Exploration

By Mark Carreau
The effort is part of Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission One (Griffin-1).
Space Exploration

By Irene Klotz, Mark Carreau, Vivienne Machi
With a second successful flight, United Launch Alliance’s new rocket is ready to take on military and commercial missions.
Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

By Mark Carreau
Astrobotic is reporting a successful round of Jet Propulsion Laboratory-managed Deep Space Network (DSN) communications testing with the Griffin lunar lander.
Space Exploration

By Mark Carreau
The company also says it has measures underway to prevent a recurrence.
Operations & Safety

By Mark Carreau
The grid would provide long-term support of habitats, rovers and scientific research at the Moon’s south pole.
Space

By Irene Klotz, Mark Carreau
The 100-day mission was designed to hunt for water ice near the lunar south pole.
Space

By Mark Carreau
The termination of the cost-and-schedule-challenged Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover was announced by NASA on July 17.
Space

By Mark Carreau, Irene Klotz
Rising costs and technical challenges have prompted NASA to cancel a commercially partnered, groundbreaking Moon mission.
Space

By Mark Carreau
The effort is based on the prospect that lunar resources can be mined and processed into construction materials at a lower cost than launching them from Earth.
Commercial Space

By Garrett Reim
As part of a demonstration, Astrobotic will use an AI-enabled software program to control and monitor its CubeRover lunar rover on its upcoming Moon mission.
Space Symposium

By Irene Klotz
Astrobotic and JAXA wrestle with landing on the Moon.
Space

By Graham Warwick
Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.
Aircraft & Propulsion

By Irene Klotz
Japan has become the fifth country to soft-land a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon, but engineers are assessing an issue with its power system.
Space

By Irene Klotz
Astrobotic wrapped up its first space mission with the destructive reentry of its Peregrine lunar lander in Earth’s atmosphere on Jan. 18.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
Astrobotic is projecting its troubled Peregrine lunar lander will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean two days earlier than previous estimates.
Space

By Irene Klotz
Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic is preparing to send its Peregrine lunar lander toward a destructive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere on Jan. 18.
Commercial Space

By Irene Klotz
With its Moon landing no longer a possibility, Peregrine was repurposed for in-space operations.
Space