Astrolab

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

You've been asking great questions about our FLEX lunar rover, so we've got answers for you courtesy of Astrolab's engineering team! What else do you want to know about FLEX and our lunar goals?

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

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.

We will be joining the American flag as a resident of the Moon in just a few years! 🇺🇸 Happy 4th of July. This picture was taken during Apollo 14 after the planting of the third flag on the lunar surface. Credit: NASA/JSC

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.

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

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!

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

We spy Jaret Matthews and FLEX at #HPEDiscover this week! 🌖