This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
This Website Uses Cookies
By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Learn More
This website requires certain cookies to work and uses other cookies to help you have the best experience. By visiting this website, certain cookies have already been set, which you may delete and block. By closing this message or continuing to use our site, you agree to the use of cookies. Visit our updated privacy and cookie policy to learn more.
Autonomous Vehicle Tech logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Autonomous Vehicle Tech logo
  • News
  • New Mobility
  • Vehicles & Systems
    • Product Management
  • Analysis
  • Regs & Standards
  • Infrastructure
  • Products
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Digital Editions
    • Subscribe
    • eNewsletter
    • Contact Us
    • Editorial Guidelines
    • Advertise
    • About
  • More
    • 2020 AVT ACES Award Winners
    • AVTech Futures
    • Submit an Article
    • Submit a Job Listing
    • Webinars
    • Videos
    • AVT Store
  • Buyers Guide
Home » Astrobotic to develop CubeRover standard for planetary surface mobility
Autonomous Vehicle NewsVehicles & Systems Engineering

Astrobotic to develop CubeRover standard for planetary surface mobility

CubeRover

Artist interpretation of the Astrobotic Peregrine Lunar Lander with CubeRover.

May 8, 2017
Kevin Jost
KEYWORDS Aerospace / Astrobotic Technology / Autonomy
Reprints
No Comments

Astrobotic Technology, in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, has been selected by NASA to develop CubeRover, a class of 2-kg rover platforms capable of small-scale science and exploration on planetary surfaces. The selection will help to establish a new standard for small-scale surface-deployable science and exploration platforms.

Astrobotic, which was spun out of Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute in 2007, is a Pittsburgh-based low-cost planetary/lunar logistics company established to deliver payloads robotically to the Moon for companies, governments, universities, nonprofits, and individuals. The company’s spacecraft accommodates multiple customers on a single flight, offering lunar delivery at a benchmark price of just $1.2 million per kilogram.

The demonstration of CubeRovers is intended to democratize planetary surface mobility, driving the space community to commoditize systems, components, and instruments while lowering costs and increasing functionality. Affordable and standardized planetary rover surface deployments will accelerate the pace of space exploration, realizing NASA science objectives and scouting sites for future human settlements.

The NASA selection to develop CubeRover comes on the heels of the announced dollar-for-dollar matching program that Astrobotic will provide for free payload deliveries to the Moon via the company’s Peregrine Lunar Lander. For every payload selected by NASA to fly on Astrobotic’s first mission, set for late 2019, Astrobotic will provide an additional flight to payload providers on the company’s second mission at no charge. The second mission is currently scheduled to fly in 2021, and Astrobotic will match payload reservations up to $12 million. This new cost-sharing program is in response to the agency’s RFI call for small lunar surface payloads.

“For too long, NASA’s science and exploration programs were forced to operate in a one-and-done paradigm,” said John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic. “Past missions to the Moon have unveiled incredible findings, but rapid follow-up with additional measurement and observation was impossible. With this new public-private cost-share program, Astrobotic will speed up the pace of discovery.”

The company continues to work closely with industry partners on the development of its Peregrine Lunar Lander. NASA is providing Astrobotic access to some of the best spacecraft engineers and facilities in the world, as part of its Lunar CATALYST Program. Airbus DS brings world-class spacecraft experience in human spaceflight and exploration and leverages previous lander development work with the European Space Agency. Aerojet Rocketdyne is supplying Peregrine’s propulsion system, featuring next-generation space engine technology. Deutsche Post DHL Group is the “official logistics provider” for the first mission to the moon.

The 2.5 x 1.5 m (8.2 x 4.9 ft) Peregrine is being engineered to deliver 35-kg (77-lb) payloads to lunar orbit and surface on each mission. Payloads can be mounted above or below its decks, and can remain attached or deployed according to their needs. During orbit and landing, cameras, IMU (inertial measurement unit), and LIDAR sensing enable the craft to perform an autonomous safe landing within 100 m (330 ft) of the target.

Its propulsion system has four tanks surrounding a cluster of five Aerojet Rocketdyne ISE-100 engines whose attitude control thrusters orient the craft. The main engines are concentric with the spacecraft central axis and perform translunar injection, trajectory correction maneuvers, lunar orbit insertion, de-orbit, brake, and descent.

Peregrine avionics achieve terrestrial computing speed with high reliability. Rugged, radiation-tolerant computing enables autonomous landing with unprecedented precision and safety in the demanding space environment.

The lander’s GNC (guidance navigation & control) system uses heritage algorithms enhanced by recent developments in navigation with machine vision. Peregrine also uses off-the-shelf sensors and algorithms for navigation during cruise and orbit. It determines position and attitude from radio time-of-flight, Doppler, sun sensor, star tracker, and the IMU. On approach to the Moon, Peregrine switches to the Astrobotic Autolanding System, which uses proprietary techniques for precision navigation.

avt-subscribe

Recent Articles by Kevin Jost

Partnering for big AV challenges

Government and industry working together

Byton on a charge

Kevin-jost-200x200

Kevin Jost is the Editorial Director for BNP Media’s Autonomous Vehicle Technology, planning and directing the creation and commissioning of all content for the startup brand’s websites, social media, newsletters, and magazines as well as market research, native content, webcasts, directories, and events. He brings over 25 years of journalism and engineering experience to the brand and leads a global team of editors and contributors to create and deliver the latest content for automated, connected, electrified, & shared vehicle technologies. Contact him at jostk@bnpmedia.com.

Related Articles

BMW and Mobileye to develop crowd-sourced sensor data for automated driving

Yazaki develops industry-first process for high-end instrument cluster

EEMBC develops an autonomous driving benchmark suite for licensing

You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Subscribe For Free!
  • Magazine Subscription
  • Online Registration
  • eNewsletter
  • Customer Service

More Videos

Popular Stories

2020 AVT ACES Award Winners

Autonomous Vehicle Technology announces its 2020 AVT ACES Award Winners

Volkswagen launches first vehicle

Volkswagen launches first vehicle in its major electrification push

Argo AI’s self-driving system

Argo AI’s self-driving system attracts new high-level investment

Nvidia introduces first commercially available Level 2+ automated driving system

Nvidia introduces first commercially available Level 2+ automated driving system

Nuro deploys first fully driverless delivery service

Nuro deploys first fully driverless delivery service

AVTech-Futures-19-360


AVT Events/Webinars

Events

December 11, 2019

From Mechanical to Solid State LiDAR

This webinar explores technical aspects of automotive LiDAR, which is needed to provide high-definition 3D information of the car’s surroundings. Its focus on Solid State LiDAR is a specific design that does not contain any moving parts.
View All Submit An Event

Products

Autonomous Vehicles - Thematic Research (PDF download)

Autonomous Vehicles - Thematic Research (PDF download)

The global automotive industry – worth $3.5 trillion in annual revenues – faces four concurrent disruptive threats: the connected car, the electric vehicle, autonomous driving technology and the concept of transport-as-a-service. Each threat is potentially existential to legacy carmakers who operate in a low growth, low margin sector that rattles with over capacity, and which is seeing its supply lines reset by cumulative advances in enabling technologies typically deployed by Tier-1 automobile sub-system suppliers. This report focuses on autonomous driving technology.

See More Products

Autonomous Vehicle Technology’s Numbers & Stats


Autonomous Vehicle Technology

AVT-Nov-2019-Cover144px.jpg

2019 November

Check out the November 2019 issue of AVT, features liability for autonomous vehicles, EV opportunities for the aftermarket, data privacy of connected vehicles, and software platforms and virtualization.

View More Create Account
  • More
    • About Us
    • Connect
    • Privacy Policy
  • Resources
    • Book Store
    • Events Calendar
    • Survey And Sample
    • Job Listings
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise With Us

Copyright ©2019. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing