NASA has awarded Astrolab and its partners a contract worth up to $1.9 billion to advance the development of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle, which will help Artemis astronauts explore more of the Moon’s surface. Astrolab is one of three teams to win contract awards. We are excited that NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration intends to use Astrolab’s Flexible Logistics & Exploration (FLEX) rover for crewed operations beginning with Artemis V in 2029, and will use the rover on prior uncrewed missions, operating FLEX remotely from Earth. Read the full announcement: https://lnkd.in/gmh9bGcN
Astrolab
Defense and Space Manufacturing
Hawthorne, California 9,433 followers
We build rovers for the Moon & Mars.
About us
Venturi Astrolab, Inc. (Astrolab) is pioneering new ways to explore and operate on distant planetary bodies. We are singularly focused on designing, building and operating a fleet of multi-purpose commercial planetary rovers to extend and enhance humanity’s presence in the solar system. Headquartered in Hawthorne, California, we are an American-owned and American-operated small business. Our team has more than five decades of experience in terrestrial and planetary robotics, electric vehicles, human spaceflight, and human intelligence field operations. Our stellar team, strategic partnerships with cutting-edge companies and institutions combine with our world-class manufacturing, integration and test facility will enable the delivery of lunar and Mars mobility solutions at maximum reliability, flexibility and cost effectiveness. Having a strong, diverse, and inspired team is essential to accomplishing our bold mission. Employees are our biggest asset, and we are deeply committed to them and our values. At Astrolab we… Demonstrate and inspire trust. Interactions are direct, honest, and respectful. We are fair and transparent with what we do and why. Thrive in balance. Balance gives us perspective and keeps us motivated and inspired. We commit to rewarding work and a fulfilling personal life. Seek diverse perspectives. We ask questions, engage in productive debate and offer alternatives to ensure our solutions and products are robust and a reflection of our collective best. Move with purpose. Quality and reliability are accomplished through efficient ideation and iteration. We act with a sense of urgency and deliver what we promise, always with the big picture in mind. Make an impact. We intentionally move our community and industry into the future through our work, practices, and actions. Check out our website for current openings and help us drive the future of planetary exploration & development!
- Website
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https://astrolab.space/
External link for Astrolab
- Industry
- Defense and Space Manufacturing
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- Hawthorne, California
- Type
- Privately Held
- Founded
- 2019
Locations
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Primary
Hawthorne, California 90250, US
Employees at Astrolab
Updates
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2024 has been a landmark year for Astrolab. As a result, our team has grown significantly! Meet the new members of our stellar crew that joined Astrolab in the first half of 2024. They have brought so much expertise and talent to Astrolab, and we can’t wait to see our group continue to expand in the rest of the year and beyond. To the Moon! 🌖 #space #nowhiring #spacejobs #aerospace #Astrolab
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You’re hot then you’re cold at the Moon's south pole. 🔥❄️ The lunar south pole is a hard place to explore. There are big temperature swings. Many areas don’t see direct sunlight. Others don’t have a direct line to Earth for communication. Some don’t have either! To plan our rover’s optimum path over the surface that will maintain the best communication, power, and temperature, we’re feeding lunar data into our FLEXsim software to plot where to drive. This is a big part of our testing process and helps us figure out how FLEX will pave the way for the future of lunar exploration. In this graphic each of the colors indicates… 🔵 Earth communication 🟡 Sun visibility 🟢 Both On the lunar surface at different points of the day.
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Before our FLEX rover drives on the Moon for real, we are running countless simulations here on Earth in our FLEXsim software. This video shows how the rover might drive around the rim of the Moon’s Shackleton crater near the lunar South Pole where many upcoming Moon missions will be focused. FLEXsim starts by using data available from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to create Digital Elevation Models, but the detail this info produces isn’t enough to truly simulate what the rover would be driving on. Astrolab’s software upscales the data, making it around 100 times more detailed with the addition of accurate crater fields, rocks, and more. Although FLEX will arrive on the Moon never having driven on a lunar surface, it will have done so virtually thousands of times before in FLEXsim.
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Astrolab reposted this
From Earth to the Moon : 2 decades of expertise, now dedicated to the space industry through our strategic partnership with Venturi Astrolab. The cells that constitute FLEX's battery packs come from the automotive industry. From a technical point of view, this choice brings with it a number of constraints. These include the need to withstand the low temperatures of the lunar South Pole (-230°C), the absence of atmosphere and the very high levels of solar radiation. #FromMonacoToTheMoon #Venturi #FLEX
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FLEX is conquering brave new lands, including the top of one of Johnson Space Center's vacuum chambers! Astrolab team members have been spending time here recently for testing, and our 3D printed FLEX model couldn't resist a little exploration of its own. A big thanks to all the groups that have supported our testing so far!
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Astrolab is now on Facebook! Follow us over there to keep up to date with our latest news, testing, behind-the-scenes pictures, and more. 🚀 🌔 https://lnkd.in/eZ2pZPqE
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We spy Jaret Matthews and FLEX at #HPEDiscover this week! 🌖
Two of the top tech visionaries touring the extensive showcase at the historic #HPEDiscover 2024. 🤩 🙌 Catch up on what you missed around AI, hybrid cloud, networking and more: https://hpe.to/6040gO3s4