A team including Astrobotic and Airbus competitively selected in partnership to study the delivery of a European Space Agency mission to the Moon onboard the Peregrine lunar lander
Astrobotic now the only lunar delivery service to be selected by NASA and ESA
Pittsburgh, PA – Astrobotic announced today that a team led by Airbus has been competitively selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to study the delivery of a payload package onboard the Peregrine lunar lander around 2025. The study will analyze Europe’s first mission to demonstrate in-situ resource utilization on the Moon.
As part of the team, Astrobotic is in charge of showing how the Peregrine lander’s international payload delivery service is best suited to carry this ground-breaking European space resources mission to the Moon. The study team also includes Goonhilly Earth Station Limited of the United Kingdom.
This selection comes following the recent announcement that Astrobotic has been chosen as a 10-year provider to deliver NASA payloads to the Moon through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Astrobotic is the only company to be both selected by NASA CLPS and now by Airbus for this competitively awarded ESA mission study.
“It’s incredibly exciting for Astrobotic to be selected by ESA,” said Astrobotic CEO John Thornton. “Between our recent win with NASA CLPS, our 12 existing mission deals, and now this selection by ESA, it’s clear that Peregrine is the market leading lander service for payload customers around the world.”
“Airbus is thrilled to have Astrobotic as a partner on this ESA contract,” said Dr. Oliver Juckenhöfel, Vice President On-Orbit Services & Exploration of Airbus. “Having independently vetted the Peregrine lander program during multiple technical milestone reviews, we have seen firsthand how Astrobotic is the mature low-cost delivery service of choice for ESA.”
"ESA is not going to the Moon alone and our vision for lunar exploration is based on international partnerships with commercial and industrial organisations. This mission study with Airbus and Astrobotic is a prime example of the new wave of space exploration," said Dr. David Parker, Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA.
About Astrobotic Inc.
Astrobotic Technology, Inc. is a space robotics company that seeks to make space accessible to the world. The company’s lunar lander, Peregrine, delivers payloads to the Moon for companies, governments, universities, non-profits, and individuals at an industry-defining price of $1.2 million per kilogram. The company is also developing advanced space robotics capabilities such as terrain relative navigation, mobile robotics for lunar surface operations, and reliable computing systems for mission- critical applications. Astrobotic has more than 30 prior and ongoing NASA and commercial technology contracts, a commercial partnership with Airbus DS, a corporate sponsorship with DHL, and 12 signed deals for Peregrine’s first mission to the Moon. The company is also an official partner with NASA through the Lunar CATALYST Program, and a NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services provider. Astrobotic was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.
For more information about Astrobotic at www.astrobotic.com
About Airbus Defence and Space
Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2018 it generated revenues of € 64 billion and employed a workforce of around 134,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as one of the world’s leading space companies. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.
For more information about Airbus at www.airbus.com
About the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Slovenia is an Associate Member.
ESA has established formal cooperation with six Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.
ESA develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed to keep Europe at the forefront of global space activities.
Today, it develops and launches satellites for Earth observation, navigation, telecommunications and astronomy, sends probes to the far reaches of the Solar System and cooperates in the human exploration of space. ESA also has a strong applications programme developing services in Earth observation, navigation and telecommunications.
Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int