Agreement Signed to Develop and Deliver the First Latin American Payload to the Lunar Surface
PITTSBURGH, PA – Agencia Espacial Mexicana (AEM) and Astrobotic Technology Inc. are pleased to announce a joint effort to facilitate the development and delivery of the first payload from Latin America to the Moon. Astrobotic and AEM have entered into an agreement outlining a commitment by both organizations to enable a Mexican payload to the Moon. Through this partnership, AEM will take its first step to another planetary body.
“Opening access to the Moon is precisely at the core of Astrobotic’s mission,” said John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic. “AEM’s rising space science and exploration community is yet one more example of the immense international interest in the Moon as a destination for science, exploration, and other activities. We are proud to be partnered with our friends in Mexico.”
In May, AEM issued its second request for proposals (RFP) through the AEM-CONACYT Fund of Trusts for Space Science and Technology, in which project proposals are expected from the Mexican space science and exploration community to determine the agency’s lunar payload. The RFP is expected to be awarded by Fall 2015. The winning proposal will be built and delivered to the Moon.
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About Astrobotic: Astrobotic is a lunar logistics company that delivers payloads to the Moon for companies, governments, universities, non-profits and individuals. Our spacecraft accommodates multiple customers on a single flight, offering flexibility at an industry-defining low price. Astrobotic is a NASA contractor, and an official partner with NASA on the Lunar CATALYST program. With its partner Carnegie Mellon University, Astrobotic is pursuing the Google Lunar XPRIZE. Astrobotic was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.