Astrobotic Technology: Prime Awards
All 91 federal prime contract awards since FY2008, $572M obligated, including subsidiaries. Largest obligation first.
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Awards 1–91 of 91 · page 1 of 1
- Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (Viper) Delivery · NASA · USAspending ↗$314M
- Lunar Surface Transportation Services - Nasa-provided Lunar Payload (Nplp) Delivery · NASA · USAspending ↗$100M
- Finalize the Mission Design, Execute Long Lead Procurements to Support the Aggressive Schedule, and Deliver All Base Milestones and Products. · NASA · USAspending ↗$24.1M
- Finalize the Mission Design, Execute Long Lead Procurements to Support the Aggressive Schedule, and Deliver All Base Milestones and Products. · NASA · USAspending ↗$24.1M
- Sbir Phase III Xogdor Vehicle Enhancements · NASA · USAspending ↗$14.0M
- The Contractor Shall Fabricate Long Lead Hardware for Primary Moonranger Components, Create Mission Plan, Revise Architectures for Navigation and Autonomy, Release Beta Version of Mission Navigation and Autonomy Software Modules. · NASA · USAspending ↗$8.0M
- Work Delivers A Trl 9 Terrain Relative Navigation and Visual Velocimetry Sensor Trn Sensor Product by Demonstrating the Trn Sensor Operation on A Lunar Lander Mission. Specifically the Works Seeks to Develop A Commercial Terrain Relative Navigation (Trn) System for Lunar and Planetary Landers. This System Consists of A High Performance Stand-alone Trn and Visual Velocimetry Vv Sensor or Trn Sensor and Two Critical Tools Needed to Provide Trn As A Multi-mission Commercial Product: A Fast, High Fidelity Lunar Simulator, and An Accurate Lunar Map Generator. the Low Swap 2 U, 2.5 Kg, 15 W Peak Passive Optical Trn Sensor Will Enable Spacecraft to Land Precisely Within 100 Meters of Any Illuminated Destination on Mapped Planetary Surfaces, Enabling A Broad Range of High Impact Science and Commercial Missions. · NASA · USAspending ↗$8.0M
- Flight Demonstration of A Reusable Suborbital Vehicle for Terrestrial Testing of Landing Technologies · NASA · USAspending ↗$7.3M
- Design, Prototype, and Test Lunar Vertical Solar Array Technology (Lvsat), A Solar Panel System Designed to Provide 10 Kilowatts of Electrical Power and Be Robotically Deployable at the South Pole of the Lunar Surface. · NASA · USAspending ↗$6.6M
- Ultra-fast Proximity Charging for Critical Space Applications. Wibotic, Bosch, the University of Washington, NASA Glenn Will Develop A Space Qualified Proximity Charging Product Line to Support A Variety of Future Commercial and Government Missions · NASA · USAspending ↗$5.6M
- EO14042 - Sbir Phase II Sequential - Lunar Night Survival and Long-range Communications for Distributed Robotics Assets. · NASA · USAspending ↗$5.0M
- Phase II Seq 80NSSC25C0435 Lasernav - Lidar-based Dark Navigation for Safe and Precise Lunar Landing · NASA · USAspending ↗$4.0M
- Mobile Modular Payload Processing Demonstrator · U.S. Air Force · USAspending ↗$3.2M
- Metal Oxidation Warming System Fuel Cell Development and Testing · NASA · USAspending ↗$3.1M
- F2D-14761 Astrobotic Technology Inc. the Objective of the Phase II Scope Is to Demonstrate Propulsion Capabilities (E.g., Thrust, Throttling, Isp) Necessary to Perform the Drm and Advance the Overall System to A Point Where the Integrated Solution. · U.S. Air Force · USAspending ↗$3.0M
- This Statement of Work Furthers the Development of A Commercial Lunar Rover Called Cuberover, Specifically by Maturing the Payload Interfaces and Increasing the Capabilities Such As Solar Recharging, A More Cost Effective Drivetrain. · NASA · USAspending ↗$2.0M
- Sbir II Research and Development · U.S. Air Force · USAspending ↗$1.9M
- Flight and Payload Integration Services · NASA · USAspending ↗$1.8M
- Clavius Space Domain Awareness · U.S. Air Force · USAspending ↗$1.7M
- Novation of 80AFRC21F0024 to 80AFRC23FA062 - Techleap Lunar Surface Test Field Validation Flight · NASA · USAspending ↗$1.7M
- Astrobotic Technology Incorporated, Space Pitch Day 2021 · U.S. Air Force · USAspending ↗$1.7M
- Sbir Phase III Xodiac-c Vehicle Enhancements · NASA · USAspending ↗$1.6M
- Sbir Ccrpp - Cuberover for Lunar Science and Exploration · NASA · USAspending ↗$1.6M
- Isru Pilot Excavator · NASA · USAspending ↗$1.2M
- IGF::OT::IGF Recurring Slope Linae (Rsl), Such As Those in Newton Crater on Mars, Methane Plumes in Hazardous Martian Terrain, and Water Ice Discovered During the Lcross Experiment in the Moon?s Permanently Shadowed Cabeus Crater Drive the Need for A New Generation of Robotic Explorers That Access, Probe, Extract, and Return Resources From Extreme Terrains. These Robots Must Possess Sufficient System-level Autonomy to Operate Without Human Guidance Due to Latency Constraints Over Vast Distances, and Must Also Have Perceptual Capabilities to Analyze Sensor Measurements and the Belief State to Make Decisions About Where to Explore and Whether A Target Is Worth Sampling. This Enhanced Exploration Capability Takes Advantage of Perceptual Models That Can Encode the Probability of the Existence of A Resource Given Material Properties Estimated From Current and Prior Sensor Measurements. the Proposed Program Innovates Novel Perceptual Models and Exploration Algorithms That Maximize the Likelihood of Detecting Resources If They Are Present and Enables Robots to Make Decisions About Where to Loiter in Order to Sample Terrain for A Particular Resource. Beyond Topical Research, the Program Will Ruggedize Phase 1 Software to Operate in the Presence of Sensor and State Uncertainty, Integrate the Capabilities on Physical Robots, and Demonstrate Results in Relevant, Subterranean Field Test. Besides Rsl and Craters, the Research Enables Exploration and Access of Cryovolcanoes, Steep and Deep Gullies, and Canyons. Terrestrial Applications Include the Detection of Radiation in Contaminated Facilities or Explosive Gases and Flammable Dust in Mines, Surveying Urban Canyons, and Exploring Bunkers and Caves. · NASA · USAspending ↗$1.2M
- Cuberover Is A Robust Miniaturized Rover for Built for Lunar Science and Exploration. with Its 2-KG Mass, the Robot Would Be the Smallest (And Likely the Least Costly) Planetary Rover Ever Deployed. Cuberover S Mobility, Power and Sensing Enable 0.5 Km Traverses, or Greater, Even Over Challenging Lunar Terrain. the Rover Is Based on A Highly-integrated Single Board Computer (Rover-on-a-board) with Reliable Flight Software, Has Integrated Lander Stowage and Deployment Capability, and Uses Wifi for Teleoperation and Shared Computation Between Rover and Lander. the System Incorporates A Flexible Thermal Design and Includes Mass and Power Allocation for Small Science Instruments, Opening Up A Range of Novel Applications, Landing Sites, and Mission Concepts. Finally, the Design Offers An Approach Toward Standardization and Commercialization of Cuberover Parts and Designs. This Proposal Describes A Detailed Plan for the Development, Testing, and Delivery of Flight Hardware by the End of the Contract in 2020. Phase II Work Will Mature the Phase I Design and Retire Risks in Pursuit of Developing and Delivering A Flight-ready Cuberover. the Proposed Program Consists of Five Technical Objectives That Address the Key Challenges of Small Size and Mass, the Harsh Lunar Environment, and Broad Applicability and Flexibility for Future Missions and Payloads. Work Will Mature Subsystems to Develop the Final Flight Configuration to Environmental Specifications, Build Flight Hardware, and Perform Qualification and Acceptance Testing. the Key Artifacts That Will Result Include: A Flight-qualified Version of the Single Board Computer, Several Prototype Rovers for Testing, and A Flight-qualified Cuberover That Can Survive the Trip to the Moon and Perform Its Mission. · NASA · USAspending ↗$1.1M
- Ot High Power Near-field Wireless Transfer for Dust Intensive Applications · NASA · USAspending ↗$1.1M
- Under-rover Ultra-wide Band Non-contact Ground Penetrating Radar Antenna · NASA · USAspending ↗$1.1M
- Sbir Phase III Vertical Solar Array Technology (Vsat) and Lunaray Testing · NASA · USAspending ↗$1.1M
- NASA Flight Opportunities Techrise 2023-2024 Education Student Competition, 30 Payloads, Mid Dated July 5, 2023. · NASA · USAspending ↗$968K
- T9.03-1004 Rastr A" Ultra-fast Smart Lidar Sensor for Terrain Mapping · NASA · USAspending ↗$850K
- FY24 Sbir Phase II - Floatinator: A Low Gravity Simulator to Study Plume-surface Interactions · NASA · USAspending ↗$850K
- FY24 Sbir Phase II - Low Mass, High Voltage Cables for Long Distance Lunar Power Distribution · NASA · USAspending ↗$850K
- Phase II Sbir - Extra Large Vertical Solar Array Technology (Vsat-xl) · NASA · USAspending ↗$850K
- Sbir Phase II Ignite - Photon Counting Sensor for In-space Debris Detection · NASA · USAspending ↗$850K
- Rotating Detonation Engine Novel Injector Design · NASA · USAspending ↗$850K
- Sttr Phase II - Efficient Distributed State Estimation for Swarm Robotics · NASA · USAspending ↗$849K
- Sbir Phase II - Asics - Adaptable, Scalable, Intelligent Computing for Space · NASA · USAspending ↗$840K
- Flight Testing and Maturation of the Touchand- Go (Tag) Guidance System (Tgs) for Small-body and Interplanetary Sample Collection · NASA · USAspending ↗$787K
- E014042 Sbir Phase II Lidar-based Navigation and Mapping for Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, Docking · NASA · USAspending ↗$750K
- Ultra-compact Standalone Visual Relative Navigation · NASA · USAspending ↗$750K
- Lightweight Robotic Excavators Address the Need for Machines That Dig, Collect, Transport and Dump Lunar Soil. Robust and Productive Small Robots Enable Mining Rich and Accessible Deposits of Ice and Other Volatiles Buried Near Craters at the Lunar Poles, Delivering Resources to Produce Propellant, and Thus Making Space Exploration Sustainable. Lightweight Excavators Bridge the Gap Between Prospecting and Full-scale Isru. A Lightweight Robot Is Proposed That Excavates and Delivers Regolith with Production So Superior to the State of the Art As to Enable Realistic Lunar and Planetary Applications. Demonstration of Light Weight Will Be Achieved by Operating A Low Mass Robot in Earth Gravity Reduced 5/6 by Offloading. the Significance of the Proposed Innovation Is An Approach That Not Only Performs the Required Tasks But Is Low in Mass (30 Kg to 150 Kg). Mass Constraints Make Productive Excavation Challenging. However, Innovative Designs Incorporating Transverse Bucket-wheels, High Payload Composite Dump Beds, and High-speed Driving Are Game Changers, Enabling Regolith Operations in Low Gravity. Phase 1 Experimental Results Show That Payload Ratio and Driving Speed Govern Productivity of Small Robots. Phase 2 Will Elevate Trls From 3 at the Beginning to An Estimated 4 or 5 at End of Contract. · NASA · USAspending ↗$750K
- E014042 Sbir Phase II Real-time Hazard Detection Via Deep Learning · NASA · USAspending ↗$750K
- E014042 Sttr Phase II Low-energy Additive Construction for the Moon and Mars · NASA · USAspending ↗$749K
- Co-localization for Planetary Rover Teams · NASA · USAspending ↗$746K
- IGF::OT::IGF Advances in Computer-aided Mission Planning Can Enhance Mission Operations and Science Return for Surface Missions to Mars, the Moon, and Beyond. While the Innovations Envisioned by This Program Are Broadly Applicable, They Serve An Immediate and Urgent Need for Missions to Prospect for Volatiles at the Lunar Poles (I.e., the NASA Lunar Resource Prospector Mission, Currently in Phase A). These Missions Must Be Rapid and Precise, Covering Multiple Kilometers in Approximately 10-12 Earth Days to Complete Mission Objectives in One Lunar Light Cycle. This Calls for the Ability to Drive Intentionally and Efficiently to Precise Drilling Destinations. Polar Operations Encounter Low Angle Lighting; This Creates Shadows Which Confront Robot Operations with Challenges in Power Production, Thermal Control, and Operator Situational Awareness. This Demands Robust Path Planning for Efficient Mission Planning and Execution. the Proposed Work Develops A Computer-aided Mission Planning Tool That Balances the Competing Demands of Efficient Routes, Scientific Information Gain, and Rover Constraints (E.g., Kinematics, Communication, Power, Thermal, and Terrainability) to Generate and Analyze Optimized Routes Between Sequences of Locations. Planner-computed Statistics About the Set of Viable Paths Enable Mission Planners, Scientists, and Operators to Efficiently Select Routes Considering A Range of Priorities Including Risk, Duration, and Science Return. This Planner Will Serve An Invaluable Role in Preplanning Missions and As A Tool for Rapidly Understanding the Impact of Changes in Mission Profile During the Mission Execution. · NASA · USAspending ↗$737K
- A Scalable Gravity Offload Device Simulates Reduced Gravity for the Testing of Various Surface System Elements Such As Mobile Robots, Excavators, Habitats, and Deployables in A Relevant Environment. the Device Is Capable of Simulating Reduced Gravity Over An Arbitrary Terrain Including Such Features As Slopes, Obstacles, and Varying Surface Concavity. the Device Consists of A Linear Movement System, A 2 Degree-of-freedom Manipulator, A Passive Force Application Mechanism, and A Position Tracking Mechanism. the Manipulator Travels Along the Linear Movement System and Is Positioned Perpendicular to the Linear Movement System's Direction of Travel. the Result Is A Rectangular Working Area Whereby the Gravity Offload Device Can Simulate Reduced Gravity in the Area Defined by the Length of the Linear Movement System by the Width (Reach) of the 2 Degree-of-freedom Manipulator. the Force Application Mechanism Is Principled Upon Precision Maintenance of A Pressure in An Air Cylinder. Precision Regulation of Supply Pressure Enables Constant Force Over the Throw of the Air Cylinder. Varying the Regulator Supply Pressure to the Air Cylinder(s) Modifies the Force Experienced by the Test Article and Therefore Enables A Gravity Offload Device to Simulate A Range of Gravity Fields Proportional to the Ability to Regulate Pressure. · NASA · USAspending ↗$599K
- CX-1 Clps Trade Study Mid-sized Lander Capability Assessment Astrobotic Base Award · NASA · USAspending ↗$588K
- Ildd Clin No. 1 Task Order- Critical Component Demonstration · NASA · USAspending ↗$500K
- Payload-to-lander Integration Process, Payload Handling and Offloading for Learning How to Design Autonomy System Integration with Commercial Lunar Payload Services. Guidance on the Control System Leverage and Ingest Relevant Sensor Data · NASA · USAspending ↗$475K
- Early Career Initiative in Partnership with Lunar Thermal Regulation for Mission Sustainability (Lunar Thermis) · NASA · USAspending ↗$350K
- Quiver: Quantitative Integration of Vision-enabled Rpod · U.S. Air Force · USAspending ↗$249K
- Hover Vehicle-reusable Rocket · U.S. Air Force · USAspending ↗$190K
- Design and Test Rocket Engines · U.S. Air Force · USAspending ↗$190K
- Wireless Charger Engineering Modules · NASA · USAspending ↗$151K
- FY24 Sbir Phase I- Rastr Ultra-fast Smart Lidar Sensor for Terrain Mapping · NASA · USAspending ↗$150K
- Sbir Phase I - Combined High-speed, Thermal, and Event Camera Imaging Sensor for Plume-surface Interactions · NASA · USAspending ↗$150K
- Sbir Phase I - Floatinator: A Low Gravity Simulator to Study Plume-surface Interactions · NASA · USAspending ↗$150K
- Sbir Phase I Clavius-s: Lunar Surface Sensor Payload for Orbital Object Detection · NASA · USAspending ↗$150K
- FY24 Sbir Phase I- Asics Adaptable, Scalable, Intelligent Computing for Space · NASA · USAspending ↗$150K
- EO14042 Sttr Phase I Efficient Distributed State Estimation for Swarm Robotics · NASA · USAspending ↗$150K
- EO14042 Sbir Phase I Brick Ubiquitous and Itinerant Lunar Deposition System · NASA · USAspending ↗$150K
- Sbir Phase I - Low Mass, High Voltage Cables for Long Distance Lunar Power Distribution · NASA · USAspending ↗$150K
- Photon Counting Sensor for In-space Debris Detection · NASA · USAspending ↗$149K
- N/a · NASA · USAspending ↗$149K
- FY24 Sbir Phase I- Extra Large Vertical Solar Array Technology (Vsat-xl) · NASA · USAspending ↗$148K
- Real-time Hazard Detection Via Deep Learning · NASA · USAspending ↗$125K
- Lidar-based Navigation and Mapping for Rendezvous, Proximity Operations, Docking · NASA · USAspending ↗$125K
- IGF::OT::IGF On-the-ground Confirmation of Lunar Ice Will Transform Space Exploration, As Ice Can Provide Fuel to Support Far-reaching Exploration and Enable Commercial Endeavors. Evidence From Satellite Observations Strongly Supports the Presence of Polar Ice, But Driving and Excavation Are Required to Confirm Presence, Measure Distribution, and Extract Resources. In-situ Resource Extraction at the Lunar Poles Is the Precursor for Permanent Operations on the Moon, Mars, and Beyond. the Most Promising Sites for Lunar Ice Lie in the Rugged Terrain of the Permanently Shadowed Regions at the Poles. These Destinations Demand Robust Perception and Navigation Technologies That Provide High Position Accuracy Regardless of Lighting Conditions. Existing Rover Technologies Are Incapable of the Types of Perception and Navigation Required by the Challenges of A Dark Environment That Restrict the Rover's Ability to Perceive Its Surroundings and Overcome Inherent Positional Uncertainty. Even the Rover's Own Shadow Can Present A Significant Obstacle While Operating in the Glancing Sunlight of Polar Regions. the Proposed Work Will Develop Novel Methods for Sensing, Mapping, and Localization in and Around the Permanently Dark Regions of Planetary Bodies. the Research Will Enable the Exploration of Previously Inaccessible Dark Environments Including Pits, Cold Traps, and Subterranean Voids Such As Lava Tubes and Caves on the Moon and Mars. Nasa's Decadal Science Survey Prioritizes Exploration of Ancient Ices, Highlighting A Mission to Study Lunar Volatiles in the Permanent Shadows on the Lunar Poles. the Proposed Work Innovates Perception and Navigation Technologies to Make Such Polar Missions Possible. · NASA · USAspending ↗$125K
- IGF::OT::IGF the Proposed Research Will Develop Long-range Terrain Characterization Technologies for Autonomous Excavation in Planetary Environments. This Work Will Develop A Machine Learning Framework for Long-range Prediction of Both Surface and Subsurface Terrain Characteristics That: (1) Indicate the Excavation-value of the Material and (2) Describe How Hazardous Terrain Is to A Robotic Excavator. Factors Influencing Importance Include the Mineral Composition of the Material and the Presence and Concentration of Volatiles. Terrain Hazards Will Include Loose Terrain That Could Cause Wheels to Sink or Slip As Well As the Presence of Surface and Subsurface Rocks That Would Inhibit Excavation. · NASA · USAspending ↗$125K
- IGF::OT::IGF the Proposed Program Innovates Subsurface Prospecting by Planetary Drones to Seek A Solution to the Difficulty of Robotic Prospecting, Sample Acquisition, and Sample Characterization at Multiple Hazardous Locations in A Single Mission. Innovation Focuses on A Specific, Challenging Scenario: Sub-surface Access of Multiple Lava Tubes by Drones Far Enough From Earth for Speed-of-light Latency to Preclude Direct Human Control. the Technology Will Be Broadly Applicable to Resource Prospecting in Cold Traps, Dark Craters, Cryovolcanoes, Asteroids, Comets, and Other Planets. the Technology Is Also Applicable to Earth-relevant Problems Such As the Detection of Poisonous and Explosive Gases and Flammable Dust in Mines; and Surveying Urban Canyons; Exploring Bunkers and Caves. · NASA · USAspending ↗$125K
- IGF::OT::IGF the Proposed Innovation Is A Lunar Cuberover Specialized As A 2 Kg Payload to Evaluate Lander Ejecta and to Characterize Small-rover Trafficability. This Cuberover and Its Roles Are Specific to the Rfp Though Broadly More General and Impactful for Exploration Enterprise. the Proposal Offers the Prospect for Standardization, Democratization and Broad Applicability of Cuberover Analogous to the Way That Cubesats Transformed the Domain of Earth Orbit and Smallsat Enterprise. for the Specific Context of This Proposal, Cuberover Is Specialized to Address III-C-2 In-situ Lunar Surface Trafficability (Topic III-C-2) and Descent Engine Blast Ejecta Phenomena (Topic III-D-4). · NASA · USAspending ↗$125K
- Cooperative Robots Can Explore the Surface of Planets with Higher Efficiency and Lower Mission Risk, Perform Novel and Precise Resource and Science Surveys, and Gather and Share Resources and Information with Other Assets to Bring Planetary Exploration. in Order to Work Together More Efficiently and Effectively, Robots Must Understand Their Location Relative to Their Peers, Which Is Challenged in Planetary Exploration by the Fact That These Environments Lack Global Positioning Systems to Enable A Robot to Understand Its Absolute Location in Space. State-of-the-art Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (Slam) Techniques Can Accurately Localize Without Explicit Pose Sensing, But Also Require High-end Range Sensors, High-fidelity Vision, and Powerful Onboard Computing. Adding These Computing and Sensor Demands on Paired and Multi-agent Systems Begins to Defeat the Purpose - Paired Exploration Is Advantageous Precisely Because IT Can Be Used to Field More Minimalist Robots That Can Devote Energy to Rapid Traverse, Multi-angle Inspections, or Specific Scientific Instruments. the Proposed Work Will Develop Two Key Techniques to Improve the Foundation for Cooperative Planetary Robotic Missions: 1. Novel Methods for Co-localizing Multiple Robots Using Relative Observations 2. Methods for Planning Multi-robot Paths That Reduce Localization Uncertainty and Improve Positioning Accuracy of Robot Teams. This Research Will Enable More Accurate Localization of Multiple Planetary Exploration Robots Without Requiring High-fidelity Sensing and Powerful Compute. · NASA · USAspending ↗$125K
- High Power Near-field Wireless Transfer for Dust Intensive Applications · NASA · USAspending ↗$125K
- The Proposed Innovation Is A Heterogeneous Multi-robot Team Developed As A Platform for Effective Subsurface Planetary Exploration. State-of-art Robotic Exploration Is Based on Single-robot Systems with Human Controllers Augmented by Limited Automation. This System Requires Near-constant Communication and A Single Failure Results in the End of the Mission. A Multi-robot System Offers More Efficient Execution of Mission Tasks, Such As Exploration and Mapping. the Robotic Team Can Re-configure in Novel Ways to Extend Range, Increase Mapping Fidelity, or Maintain A Communication Link. Innovative Robot Configurations Will Be Developed to Overcome the Challenges of the Subsurface Environment. These Challenges Include Power in the Dark, Communication to Earth, and Mobility in Rocky Terrain. the Robot Team Will Implement State-of-art Software Developed at Cmu to Enable Navigation of Rough Terrain, Autonomous Collaboration Among Large Multi-robot Groups, and Sensing and Navigation. Since Subterranean Features Provide Protection From Surface Hazards, Low-cost Electronics May Be Used to Reduce Mission Costs. the Multi-robot System Provides: Parallelized Exploration of Large Spaces or Tunnel Networks Autonomous Task Generation Autonomous Reconfiguration of Robot Team to Achieve A Particular Task Single Robot Failure Does Not Result in End of Mission · NASA · USAspending ↗$125K
- IGF::OT::IGF Discovery of Frozen Volatiles at the Lunar Poles Is Transformative to Space Exploration. In-situ Resources Will Provide Fuel to Support Far-reaching Exploration and Enable Commercial Endeavors. While Satellite Data Supports Presence of Polar Ice, Driving and Drilling Must Confirm Presence, Determine Composition, and Measure Distribution. Ice Exists Primarily in the Dark and Cold of Polar Craters. Current Planetary Rover Planning Technologies Are Not Designed for These Environments and Have Avoided Them Altogether, Operating Only in Mid-latitudes. the Proposed Research Innovates An Earth-based, Resource-aware Path Planner for A Polar Prospecting Rover. the Proposed Planner Models Progress Toward the Goal While Considering Resource Costs Inherent in That Progress, Generates and Explores the Space of Possible Paths, Then Transmits A Set of Low-cost Viable Paths to Goal to the Rover. the Set of Viable Paths Then Resides on the Rover to Inform Limited Replanning If the Rover Encounters A Hazard During Traverse, Even During Communications Dropout. the Planner Considers All of the Impacts on Polar Rover Operation Light Angles That Change Over Time, Thermal Operating Window, Sun Angles and Blinding Light, and Communications-shadowed Regions. Each of These Impacts Affects One of the Rover's Resources Where IT Can Go, What IT Can See, How Cold IT Can Get, How Much Battery Charge Remains, and Whether IT Can Communicate with Its Operator. Design of the Proposed Planner Will Build on Pioneering Research at Carnegie Mellon That Developed Tempest, A Temporal-aware, Mission-based Planner That Maximized Battery Power Over A Traverse. IT Was Demonstrated Using the Hyperion Rover, Achieving A Sun-synchronous Traverse of Haughton Crater. the Polar Environment Is Both Adversarial and Unpredictable, and the Proposed Planner Will Extend the Tempest to Account for the Unique Challenges of Navigating on the Poles of Planetary Bodies and Add Nondeterministic Planning. · NASA · USAspending ↗$124K
- Software-based Redundancy Methods Offer A Solution to Achieve High Reliability with Commercial-off-the-shelf (Cots) Hardware, Providing A Significantly Reduced Development Cycle As Well As Lower Swap and Cost. by Contrast, Conventional Hardware-based Methods for the Use of High Performance Applications-specific Processors in Space Are Very Costly and Introduce A Long Delay Between Terrestrial and Spaceflight Use. This Proposal Investigates the Use of Astrobotic S Software Defined Reliability Product, A-sdr, for the Reliable Use of Cots Coprocessors in Space Through A Specific Study of A Texas Instruments Digital Signal Processor (Dsp) Ic. A-sdr Is A Lightweight, Low-overhead Software Consensus Framework Designed to Detect and Correct Transient Single Event Effects with Minimal Hardware Requirements. with Its Software-based Mitigation Techniques, A-sdr Can Elevate This Powerful Multicore Dsp Ic to Be Flight-reliable, Delivering 160 Gigaflops of Computing Power with A Typical Power Consumption of Less Than 15 Watts. This Capability Is Simply Not Available in Space Today and Would Have A Broad Impact on the Autonomy of Small Spacecraft Missions, and Astrobotic Has Identified A Specific Spaceflight Application That Requires This Advanced Computing Performance to Serve As A Proof of Concept: Autonomous Free-flying Navigation in Leo and on Planetary Surfaces. Unlocking These High-performance Computing Applications Will Enable A New Era of Autonomy in Spaceflight. · NASA · USAspending ↗$124K
- IGF::OT::IGF Future NASA and Commercial Missions Will Increasingly Target Destinations with Challenging Topography and Limited Communication Including Unmapped Asteroids, Comets, and Outer Planet Moons; Surface Rendezvous Sites for Sample Return; and Challenging Sites Like Polar Peaks, Crater Rims, and Skylights on Mars and the Moon. Given the Hazards of Exploring These Destinations, Robotic Landers Will Most Likely Precede Human Mission, As They Can Significantly Cut Mass, Size and Cost Relative to Human Relevant Landers Without Compromising Human Safety. However, A Reduced Lander Size Equates to Reduced Hazard Tolerance, Placing A Strong Demand on Precise Autonomous Hazard Detection and Landing. the Proposed Research Innovates Safe, Precise Navigation for Autolanding for Sample Return Missions to A Distant Asteroid, Planet, or Moon. the Technology Suite Developed Will Be Packaged As A Commercial Product · NASA · USAspending ↗$124K
- Under-rover Ultra-wide Band Non-contact Ground Penetrating Radar Antenna · NASA · USAspending ↗$124K
- Ultra Low Swap Relative Navigation · NASA · USAspending ↗$123K
- The Development of Core Systems Engineering Documents & Avionics Hardware Architecture for the Isru Pilot Excavator Payload. · NASA · USAspending ↗$109K
- Clin 1.5 Preliminary Design Checkpoint · NASA · USAspending ↗$100K
- Robust, Lightweight, Power-efficient Excavation Robots Are Missionenablers for Lunar Outposts and Surface Systems. Lunar Excavators of Thistype Cost-effectively Utilize Native Materials for Both Outpostpreparation and In-situ Resource Utilization. They Address the Need for Implements That Dig, Collect, Transport, and Dump Lunar Soil. Past Prototypes, While Providing Valuable Insights, Have Either Been Too Large,too Slow, or Had Too Little Pound-for Pound Regolith Moving Capacity (Payload Ratio) to Be Real Options for A Lunar Outpost. Novel Designs Incorporating Dump Beds, High-speed Driving, and Composite Materials Are Game Changers, Making Lightweight Excavation Robots Advantageous for Lunar Site and Surface Work. Performance of Elemental Actions Such As Digging or Driving Has Been Studied, But IT Is Performance in Achieving A Site-level Task Like Berm Building That Matters. This Proposal Team Has Identified Payload Ratio and Driving Speed As Dominating Parameters Governing Site Work. This Has Been Done by Creating and Applying A Task-level Simulator, Remote (Regolith Excavation, Mobility&tooling Environment), for A Prior NASA Contract. Current Excavation Force Models Do Not Adequately Address Cohesion and Soil-tool Friction Within A Lunar-relevant Regime, As This Work Proposes to Do. Trade Studies and Prototypes of Lunar Excavators Are Informative, But Direct Controlled Comparisons of Configuration Options (Ex. Loader or Dozer) Will Yield the Best Means of Choosing A Real Design. the Technology Readiness Level (Trl) at the Beginning of the Proposed Phase I Work Is 2. the Anticipated Results of Phase I Include A Prototype Design As Well As Experimental Data Supporting the Feasibility of the Concept, Bringing the Trl to 3. Phase II Will Result in A Completed Prototype That Will Be Used to Validate Predictions of Key Parameters, Bringing the Trl to 4. · NASA · USAspending ↗$100K
- The Proposed Innovation Is A Scalable Gravity Off-load System That Enables Controlled Integrated Testing of Surface System Elements Such As Rovers, Habitats, and Space Suits in Planet-relevant Gravity Which Addresses T6.02 in the Direct Solicitation of A Gravity Off-load System. Phase I Delivers A Nominal Design in the Form of A Final Report, Phase II Builds This Design and Delivers Hardware, and Phase III Commercializes the Gravity Off-load System As A Commercial Product/service of Astrobotic Technology. · NASA · USAspending ↗$100K
- E014042 Sbir Phase 1 Rotating Detonation Engine Novel Injector Design · NASA · USAspending ↗$100K
- Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Lunar Surface Systems Concepts Study the Siteworker Study Will Focus on the Next Two Decades-preparatory Site Work in the 2010S and Operational Activities in the 2020S When Human Crews Are on the Moon. in Those Two Decades, Robotic Devices Will Establish and Maintain Sites for Habitation and Enterprise by Creating Roads, Hab-pads, Radiation Caps Over Habs, Level Landing Zones, Berms Around Landing Zones, and Trenches for Buried Utilities. Machines Are Needed for Surveying, Ripping, Scarifying, Dozing, Excavating, Grading, Drilling, Compaction, Haulage, Trenching, Maintenance, Dust-cleaning, Etc. This Study Will Model and Characterize Combinations of Machine Systems for Overall Performance, Minimum Mass, Modularity, Lifecycle, Fulfillment of Isru Needs, and Energetics, A Schedule of Delivery and Operation of the Machines for Logical Site Development Will Also Be Developed with Emphasis on Achieving A Capability Ratio of Type of Work to Type of Machine. A Review of Terrestrial Soil-working Techniques, Alongside Relevant Lunar Regolith Properties (Such As Density, Electrostatics, Cohesion, Etc.) Will Be Prepared. These Will Be Used to Map the Relationships Between Terrestrial Methods and the Requirements of the Lunar Environment. From This Evaluation of the Viability of Terrestrial Equipment and Methods Will Be Made. Taking These Studies Into Account New Formulations for Lunar Regolith-moving Tools and Techniques Will Be Developed. Methods to Reduce Development Cost and Time Will Be Investigated. Basing Designs Off Existing NASA Platforms Such As Chariot Will Allow for Rapid Development of Various Modes for Regolith Moving and Transportation. Emphasis Will Also Be Placed on Multipurpose Rover Designs and Utilizing Consistent Hardware. the Outcome Will Include A Final Report That Will Examine Alternatives for Regolith-moving in Current Lunar Architecture, and Identify Life-cycle Issues and Cost Drivers. · NASA · USAspending ↗$97K
- Enhanced Landing and Mobility Study · NASA · USAspending ↗$50K
- Event-based Relative Navigation · U.S. Air Force · USAspending ↗$50K
- #S3.06-3881 Entitled Surviving the Lunar Night Using Metal Oxidation Warming Systems · NASA · USAspending ↗$47K
- Minimum Guaranteed · NASA · USAspending ↗$25K
- Skymage: Lunar Positioning and Navigation Network · U.S. Air Force · USAspending ↗$0
Awards marked “Outside DoD, DHS, DOE and NASA” come from the contractor-first USAspending search of this company's awards at every agency and are not in sector totals. Awards of DoD, DHS, DOE and NASA under $10,000 net are counted in totals but not listed; find them on USAspending ↗.