Latest news with #Astrobotic
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Astrobotic Xodiac rocket crashes in the Mojave, CEO says won't impact lunar landing mission
North Shore-based aerospace company Astrobotic Technology Inc.'s Xodiac rocket crashed in the Mojave Desert. The terrestrial rocket has been used by the company for 10 years to conduct test flights. During flight 176, the vehicle detected an anomaly on descent, leading to it crashing and its ultimate destruction. No one was injured, and the test site itself is undamaged. RELATED COVERAGE >>> Channel 11 speaks with Astrobotic CEO after Peregrine mission 'We're disappointed, but we're also not terribly surprised, and we're really proud of what this vehicle was able to accomplish over its 10-year lifetime,' CEO John Thornton said. 'For any flying vehicle, that's a pretty darn good service record, I mean, there are even cars that sometimes don't last 10 years, so it certainly did what it needed to do during its service life.' Click here to read more from our partners at the Pittsburgh Business Times. Download the FREE WPXI News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch WPXI NOW
Geek Wire
23-05-2025
- Science
- Geek Wire
Astrobotic clears wireless charging system for moon missions with help from WiBotic
A CubeRover with a wireless charging node drives up to a second power node to charge. (Astrobotic Photo) Astrobotic says it has completed flight model acceptance testing for a wireless charging system that incorporates technology from Seattle-based WiBotic — and that could help rovers roam across the surface of the moon. The system is designed to provide reliable, high-efficiency power transfer amid the extreme conditions of the lunar surface, including a night that lasts 14 Earth days. It was developed by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic and WiBotic with assistance from the University of Washington, Bosch and NASA's Glenn Research Center. 'This is the foundation for a unified, interoperable power standard for the moon and Mars,' Astrobotic CEO John Thornton said in a news release. 'We're offering a wireless charging solution that can support cross-agency, cross-industry missions, built to survive the harshest planetary environments. If your assets need dependable power on the surface, this is the plug they'll need.' WiBotic's co-founder and CEO, Ben Waters, said the system's successful qualification is a 'major step forward.' 'For the first time, there's an off-the-shelf, space-qualified wireless charging solution available for lunar and orbital missions,' Waters said in a LinkedIn post. 'Instead of spending years developing a custom charger for each robot, tool or power system, companies can now integrate a proven solution that works across battery types, voltages and devices — no physical connectors required.' An artist's conception shows a lunar rover and a row of charging stations. (WiBotic Illustration) The wireless system is designed to deliver power from an Astrobotic lunar lander or from a Vertical Solar Array Technology platform, also known as VSAT. Power from the source would be converted to wireless power by a WiBotic transmitter circuit, and then sent to the device by a transmitter antenna coil. Such a system would be well-suited for lunar operations — where devices would otherwise have to be repeatedly connected and disconnected, subjecting them to wear and tear from abrasive moon dust. The acceptance testing process for the wireless charger flight model was conducted over the course of four months at Astrobotic's Pittsburgh headquarters and at Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. The model was tested to check for electromagnetic interference and for the ability to cope with the vibrations that would be experienced during launch. The system also was subjected to vacuum conditions and the cold, dirty environment that would be encountered on the lunar surface. Development of the system was supported by a NASA Tipping Point contract. A 125-watt wireless charger model is now commercially available for advanced power solutions in space applications, and a 400-watt model is undergoing further testing.
Associated Press
22-05-2025
- Science
- Associated Press
Uplift Aerospace Expands Starborn Academy to Colorado
DENVER, CO / ACCESS Newswire / May 22, 2025 / Uplift Aerospace (OTC PINK:NRPI) is proud to announce the expansion of its education division, Starborn Academy, into Colorado through a new collaboration with Denver Public Schools. This marks a significant milestone in the program's mission to make high-impact STEM education accessible to students nationwide. As part of the Colorado launch, students at the Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design (DSISD) will have the opportunity to send their own projects to the lunar surface aboard Astrolab's FLIP rover. The rover will be delivered to the Moon by Astrobotic's Griffin Mission-1 lander, a NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission. The 8-week Starborn Academy curriculum and program, titled Moon Mission: Letter to the Moon, immerses high school students in a cutting-edge STEM curriculum, introducing them to computer programming, engineering, and space science through hands-on, problem-solving experiences. As part of the program, students will: Experience pressurized spacesuits, simulating the challenges of space exploration. Learn programming and engineering fundamentals essential to future space missions. Create digital time capsules, sharing their vision for what life on the Moon could look like 50 years from now and how lunar exploration could benefit life on Earth. Collaborate with Astronaut Dr. Sian Proctor in creating an art piece that will be part of the Moon mission. 'By engaging in hands-on, problem-based learning, students aren't just imagining the future, they're actively shaping it,' said Emily Higgins, Director of Education at Uplift Aerospace. At the end of the program, two outstanding students and a teacher from DSISD will be chosen to attend the Moon mission launch at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. Representing their school, they will witness their classmates' work embark on the historic journey to the Moon. Dr. Evelyn Cruz, Principal of DSISD, shared, 'When students see their ideas launched into space, they begin to understand that their voices carry weight, their dreams hold power, and their futures are not limited by gravity. This mission isn't just about reaching the Moon, it's about igniting purpose, possibility, and pride in every learner.' The Moon Mission: Letter to the Moon is made possible through Uplift Aerospace's collaboration with Astrolab's FLIP rover, which is targeted to launch to the Moon at the end of 2025, and astronaut-artist Dr. Sian Proctor. Dr. Proctor is integrating student messages into an exclusive artwork that will be featured on Astrolab's FLIP rover, creating a historic artwork that will become part of the FLIProver's journey to the Moon. On May 22, 2025, DSISD will proudly host the Starborn Academy Moon Mission Symposium, an inspiring culmination of its first schoolwide Project-Based Learning experience. During this signature event, students will present their innovative, space-themed projects to the DSISD community, showcasing weeks of research, collaboration, and creativity. A panel of distinguished judges will engage directly with student presenters, exploring the depth and impact of their work. The symposium will conclude with a celebratory awards ceremony, where top projects will be recognized for excellence in vision, execution, and real-world relevance. For more information on Starborn Academy and updates on its progress, visit or follow @upliftaerospace. Media Contact: Uplift Aerospace - Emily Higgins, Director of Education ( [email protected] ) Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design - Principal, Dr. Evelyn Cruz ( [email protected] ) Denver Public Schools - Stephanie Eastland, Media Relations Manager ( [email protected] ) About Starborn Academy Starborn Academy is the education and workforce development division of Uplift Aerospace. Uplift Aerospace (Symbol: NRPI) is a space technology company based in Park City, Utah, advancing workforce development through immersive education, scientific research, and commercial spaceflight. Its software division, Starborn Academy, provides education and entertainment solutions that integrate training simulations with real-world experiences to build proficiency through hands-on, problem-based learning. Uplift also supports research and flight operations through partnerships with universities and research institutions. About Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design Located in the heart of Denver, DSISD is a forward-thinking, STEAM-focused high school where innovation meets impact. Grounded in Project-Based Learning (PBL) and personalized education, we empower students to take ownership of their learning through real-world, culturally relevant experiences. As we celebrate our 10-year milestone, our guiding theme, 'Space for All, Powered by STEAM', honors our commitment to inclusive excellence and bold innovation. This year, we proudly launched our first schoolwide PBL initiative, the Starborn Academy Moon Mission, uniting every student and educator in a cross-disciplinary journey to the Moon, literally and figuratively. DSISD is more than a school, it's a launchpad for ideas, equity, and the next generation of changemakers. Disclosures and Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements: This release contains forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Expressions of future goals and similar expressions reflecting something other than historical fact are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including the timely development and market acceptance of products and technologies, economic and market factors, successful integration of acquisitions, the ability to secure additional sources of financing, the ability to reduce operating expenses and other factors. The actual results that the company achieves may differ materially from any forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. The Company, its management, or affiliates, undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may arise after the date of this release. SOURCE: NRP Stone, Inc. press release
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Why NASA's VIPER Lunar Rover Is Still in Limbo
The only consistent thing about NASA's VIPER lunar rover is that the road to the moon has been a rocky one. And now the space agency has nixed its attempt to find a commercial partner to launch VIPER moonward, leaving the nearly complete little space vehicle in a continued state of limbo. VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Explorer Rover) was intended to launch this year to explore the lunar south pole in search of buried ice and other chemical compounds. But NASA canceled it in July 2024 after delays led to cost overruns. This is the second time NASA has nixed a lunar rover mission in recent years, says Philip Metzger, a planetary physicist at the University of Central Florida (UCF). In 2018 NASA axed the Resource Prospector rover, which would have done similar exploration. In January NASA raised hopes that VIPER might somehow still see space when it put out a call for proposals for private aerospace companies to launch and operate the rover. On May 7, however, NASA canceled that call for proposals. [Sign up for Today in Science, a free daily newsletter] The agency says it is exploring new strategies for VIPER in the future. 'We look forward to accomplishing future volatiles science with VIPER as we continue NASA's Moon to Mars exploration efforts,' said Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, in a recent statement. The rover's budget problems started with supply chain disruptions during the COVID pandemic, says Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at the Planetary Society. It was also slated to launch on a platform built by aerospace company Astrobotic, which failed its first landing of a scaled-down version of that platform The mission was unusually far along when NASA pulled the plug: the rover was fully assembled and was in the final stages of testing for a launch. By that point, NASA had sunk nearly $800 million into its construction and the contract with Astrobotic. It's not clear why NASA has been unable to find a private partner to launch the rover, but such a company would have assumed the costs of the mission and agreed to share the data freely with the space agency. That made for a tough business case for private companies, SpaceNews reported earlier this month. The 2.5-meter-tall rover was designed to search for resources such as water ice, carbon dioxide and helium in the lunar subsurface. The goal, says Clive Neal, a lunar expert at the University of Notre Dame, is to find resources that humans could use to establish a permanent research base on the moon. The data on where such volatiles might be and whether they're accessible and extractable are crucial for the Artemis program's plans for long-term human presence on the moon. The rover carries four instruments: a neutron spectrometer to detect water as deep as a meter below the surface, a near-infrared spectrometer to determine the makeup of samples, a mass spectrometer to analyze gases in the environment at touchdown and a drill called TRIDENT (The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrains). The drill is one of VIPER's blockbuster features, designed to pull samples from up to a meter deep. The cancelation of VIPER, after 2018's loss of Resource Prospector, is short-sighted, given NASA's goals, Neal says. 'Is NASA actually serious about getting humans back to the moon?' he says. 'Are they actually serious about enacting our current space policy? Have they actually read it?' VIPER could also answer basic science questions about the origin of the water on the moon, says UCF's Metzger. It may have been part of the lunar core from the moment of its formation, or the water could have arrived with planetary dust or large impactors over time, among other possibilities. 'Understanding those processes is crucial for understanding our solar system,' Metzger says. The answers could reveal more about how common water-rich bodies are in the galaxy and how many planets or moons might host life. That's the big question. Until NASA releases more details on potential future partnership structures, the project remains in a state of suspended animation. 'I don't know what to make of it because there is so little information,' Dreier says. It's possible NASA could reopen negotiations with Astrobotic, the company that was originally going to launch the rover, Neal says. Or, Metzger suggests, the agency might be seeking international partners that could take on some of the operational costs. There are no other U.S. missions on the horizon with the drilling capabilities of VIPER. If the rover doesn't find a way to the moon, Neal says, two other lunar explorers from China could pick up the banner of volatiles science: Chang'e 7 and 8. As uncertain as things are looking for VIPER, though, it's an optimistic sign that NASA hasn't dropped the rover outright, Dreier says, given that the White House has proposed a 50 percent cut to NASA's science programs and a more than 20 percent cut to the agency overall in 2026. 'If it's not openly identified as being canceled,' Dreier says, 'you are winning as a NASA science mission right now.'
Scientific American
15-05-2025
- Science
- Scientific American
Remember VIPER, NASA's Off-Again, On-Again Lunar Rover? It's Still in Limbo
The only consistent thing about NASA's VIPER lunar rover is that the road to the moon has been a rocky one. And now the space agency has nixed its attempt to find a commercial partner to launch VIPER moonward, leaving the nearly complete little space vehicle in a continued state of limbo. VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Explorer Rover) was intended to launch this year to explore the lunar south pole in search of buried ice and other chemical compounds. But NASA canceled it in July 2024 after delays led to cost overruns. This is the second time NASA has nixed a lunar rover mission in recent years, says Philip Metzger, a planetary physicist at the University of Central Florida (UCF). In 2018 NASA axed the Resource Prospector rover, which would have done similar exploration. In January NASA raised hopes that VIPER might somehow still see space when it put out a call for proposals for private aerospace companies to launch and operate the rover. On May 7, however, NASA canceled that call for proposals. On supporting science journalism If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. The agency says it is exploring new strategies for VIPER in the future. 'We look forward to accomplishing future volatiles science with VIPER as we continue NASA's Moon to Mars exploration efforts,' said Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate, in a recent statement. Why can't VIPER get off the ground? The rover's budget problems started with supply chain disruptions during the COVID pandemic, says Casey Dreier, chief of space policy at the Planetary Society. It was also slated to launch on a platform built by aerospace company Astrobotic, which failed its first landing of a scaled-down version of that platform The mission was unusually far along when NASA pulled the plug: the rover was fully assembled and was in the final stages of testing for a launch. By that point, NASA had sunk nearly $800 million into its construction and the contract with Astrobotic. It's not clear why NASA has been unable to find a private partner to launch the rover, but such a company would have assumed the costs of the mission and agreed to share the data freely with the space agency. That made for a tough business case for private companies, SpaceNews reported earlier this month. What kind of science was VIPER supposed to do? The 2.5-meter-tall rover was designed to search for resources such as water ice, carbon dioxide and helium in the lunar subsurface. The goal, says Clive Neal, a lunar expert at the University of Notre Dame, is to find resources that humans could use to establish a permanent research base on the moon. The data on where such volatiles might be and whether they're accessible and extractable are crucial for the Artemis program's plans for long-term human presence on the moon. The rover carries four instruments: a neutron spectrometer to detect water as deep as a meter below the surface, a near-infrared spectrometer to determine the makeup of samples, a mass spectrometer to analyze gases in the environment at touchdown and a drill called TRIDENT (The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrains). The drill is one of VIPER's blockbuster features, designed to pull samples from up to a meter deep. The cancelation of VIPER, after 2018's loss of Resource Prospector, is short-sighted, given NASA's goals, Neal says. 'Is NASA actually serious about getting humans back to the moon?' he says. 'Are they actually serious about enacting our current space policy? Have they actually read it?' VIPER could also answer basic science questions about the origin of the water on the moon, says UCF's Metzger. It may have been part of the lunar core from the moment of its formation, or the water could have arrived with planetary dust or large impactors over time, among other possibilities. 'Understanding those processes is crucial for understanding our solar system,' Metzger says. The answers could reveal more about how common water-rich bodies are in the galaxy and how many planets or moons might host life. What's next for VIPER? That's the big question. Until NASA releases more details on potential future partnership structures, the project remains in a state of suspended animation. 'I don't know what to make of it because there is so little information,' Dreier says. It's possible NASA could reopen negotiations with Astrobotic, the company that was originally going to launch the rover, Neal says. Or, Metzger suggests, the agency might be seeking international partners that could take on some of the operational costs. There are no other U.S. missions on the horizon with the drilling capabilities of VIPER. If the rover doesn't find a way to the moon, Neal says, two other lunar explorers from China could pick up the banner of volatiles science: Chang'e 7 and 8. As uncertain as things are looking for VIPER, though, it's an optimistic sign that NASA hasn't dropped the rover outright, Dreier says, given that the White House has proposed a 50 percent cut to NASA's science programs and a more than 20 percent cut to the agency overall in 2026. 'If it's not openly identified as being canceled,' Dreier says, 'you are winning as a NASA science mission right now.'
