Astrobotic Technology has been presented with one more contract by NASA, supplementing its Innovative Lunar Demonstrations Data (ILDD) contract.
Falcon 9 robotic mission
This new task is worth $10M through which NASA intends taking the company’s data on commercial robotic expeditions to the Moon. The $100,000 contract reaches total funding of $610,000 under the ILDD contract.
Astrobotic Technology, following contract achievement from Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) will perform its first mission on a Falcon 9 rocket. With the help of the robot, forecast analysis on methane and other minerals, and water in the south pole of Moon will be determined. This expedition is slated for May 2015. These resources are transformed into rocket propellant that presents an off-planet refueling station, thereby minimizing the cost of space exploration.
NASA will be furnished with a technical outline on the developments in Astrobotic, following its task order acceptance by April 20. Astrobotic has designed, developed and validated its lunar lander structure. A new model rover is currently being specifically designed for lunar polar conditions. The company fabricates the new rover under a separate NASA contract, which is custom-made from a polar ice excavator. Furthermore, Astrobotic focuses on another two NASA contracts that include formulating easy access to the volcanic caves in Moon and organizing the deployment of a group of cooperative robots in the lunar caves.
The commercial expeditions of Astrobotic include devising unique media content for television and Web portals and transportation of hauls for space agencies. Astrobotic is an extension of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University that intends performing lunar research.
Source: http://astrobotictech.com/