Xodiac
-
Press Releases
Astrobotic Secures $17.5M to Advance Reusable Rockets
Astrobotic announced today that it has been awarded three contracts totaling $17.5 million to advance the next generation of its reusable rocket systems. The awards will accelerate development of both its Xodiac and Xogdor platforms, with three distinct vehicles in development. Together, these vehicles will strengthen suborbital flight test capabilities and expand access to high-frequency, low-cost, reusable rocket testing. The…
Read More » -
Press Releases
Andøya Space & Astrobotic Partnering for Reusable Rocket Launches
Andøya Space and Astrobotic Technology, Inc. are pleased to announce the signing of a Term Sheet for a Launch Site Agreement. This agreement marks a significant step towards enhancing commercial space capabilities in Europe, with Astrobotic utilizing Andøya Space as a launch and landing site for its Xodiac reusable rocket campaigns. Xodiac simulates lunar and planetary landings, tests flight systems and…
Read More » -
Press Releases
Astrobotic Tech Passes Critical Tests for Safe Moon Landings
Astrobotic completed a robust terrestrial flight test campaign for their suite of lunar landing Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) technologies, vital for the Deorbit, Descent, and Landing (DDL) phase of missions to the Moon. The company’s Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN), and Hazard Detection and Avoidance (HD&A) systems were verified to accurately detect and avoid surface hazards, like rocks and small…
Read More » -
Press Releases
The Countdown is ON! Xodiac Merch Coming Soon!
Celebrate, Xodiac, Astrobotic’s Vertical Takeoff, Vertical Landing (VTVL) rocket with a flight heritage of over 160 successful flights, with new merchandise, including stickers, posters, apparel, candles, and more!Xodiac merch available FRIDAY, JULY 26, 2024 at 9:00am EST.Classics: Be sure to check out the latest Astrobotic logo items in our shop!Available this Friday, 07.26.24 at 9:00am EST.NEW! Xogdor Merchandise: Be one of the first to show your excitement…
Read More » -
Press Releases
Astrobotic Unveils Terrestrial Moonscape for Payload Testing
This one-of-a-kind test field provides a globally unique environment for lunar payload flights aboard Astrobotic’s Xodiac. Astrobotic announced the unveiling of its Lunar Surface Proving Ground (LSPG) at its facility in Mojave, CA. The approximately 100mx100m high-fidelity 3D test field mimics the topography and optical properties of the Moon’s surface. The LSPG’s terrain is modeled after an actual map of the Moon’s…
Read More » -
Press Releases
Watch a Night Flight – Xodiac Preps for Nighttime Precision Landing Challenge
Astrobotic’s Propulsion & Test department flew Xodiac, a vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing (VTVL) reusable terrestrial rocket, for its first-ever night flight. The tethered night test prepared Xodiac for upcoming flight testing with the NASA TechLeap Prize’s Nighttime Precision Landing Challenge, managed by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program. TechLeap is designed to rapidly identify and develop technologies of interest to the agency using a…
Read More » -
NASA
NASA Supports Tests of Dust Sensor to Aid Lunar Landings
A research team from the University of Central Florida recently tested an instrument designed to measure the size and speed of surface particles kicked up by the exhaust from a rocket-powered lander on the Moon or Mars. Supported by NASA’s Flight Opportunities program, researchers evaluated the instrument in a series of flight tests on Astrobotic’s Xodiac rocket-powered lander in Mojave, California. When…
Read More » -
NASA
Xodiac Flies First Astrobotic Customer Campaign
Astrobotic, a leader in vertical-takeoff, vertical-landing (VTVL) reusable rockets, successfully completed a flight test campaign for the University of Central Florida (UCF) last week at the company’s facility in Mojave, CA. The campaign consisted of four flights aboard Astrobotic’s Xodiac VTVL rocket to test UCF’s Ejecta STORM laser sensor, which was developed by Dr. Phil Metzger to study plume-surface interactions…
Read More » -
Press Releases
Astrobotic Building a 3D Lunar Surface for Testing & Research
Astrobotic announced today it has begun work on a 100mx100m high-fidelity 3D test field that will mimic the topography and optical properties of the Moon’s surface. This lunar surface analogue test site called the Lunar Surface Proving Ground (LSPG) will be used for a variety of test campaigns, from precise lunar landing technologies like LiDAR scanners and navigation algorithms to lunar rovers…
Read More » -
NASA
Test your technology on Xodiac!
Three Weeks to Go! Mandatory Preliminary Proposals are due June 7, 2023.NASA’s annual REDDI “TechFlights” solicitation has been released! In order to be considered, a mandatory preliminary proposal (MPP) is due to NASA on June 7 at 5 PM ET! Proposal teams can review NASA’s REDDI TechFlights solicitation and associated documents here. The NASA STMD Flight Opportunities webpage is also…
Read More »