NASA awards Astrobotic contract to deliver 14 payloads to the moon

June 3, 2019
Astrobotic was selected by NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to deliver 14 payloads to the Moon on its Peregrine lunar lander in July 2021.

Pittsburgh, PA – Astrobotic was selected by NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to deliver 14 payloads to the Moon on its Peregrine lunar lander in July 2021. With this $79.5 million CLPS award, Astrobotic has now secured 28 payloads for lunar delivery as part of its first mission.

Astrobotic’s 28 payloads represent 8 different countries, including the United States. Payloads comprise of resource development, scientific investigation, technology demonstration, exploration, marketing, arts, and entertainment. NASA’s CLPS selection, along with our existing manifest of signed customers, affirm that Astrobotic’s American-designed Peregrine lander is the market choice for payload customers worldwide.

“Today is a historic day for Astrobotic and the commercial lunar market,” said Astrobotic CEO John Thornton May 31. “It is an awe-inspiring responsibility to be charged with delivering NASA’s payloads alongside our existing manifest of customers. Astrobotic was founded on the tenets of technical excellence, credible timelines, and value to customers. NASA’s confidence in our services is a testament to the hard work of the Astrobotic team, which spent 12 years making commercial lunar delivery a reality. Today, that hard work has come to fruition. We are proud to join NASA in returning America to the Moon.”

Peregrine is a lunar lander product line that will carry uncrewed payloads to the Moon. With Peregrine’s delivery capacity, the lunar surface is open to companies, governments, and universities, and individuals. The vehicle has passed an industry-standard Preliminary Design Review and the program will build and test a Structural Test Model followed by a Critical Design Review later this year. Peregrine will launch in June 2021 with a planned landing in July 2021.

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