On July 1, 2019, space robotics company Astrobotic received a $5.6 million NASA contract to develop an autonomous moon rover.
Developed in partnership with Carnegie Mellon University, the MoonRanger is a 28.7-pound (13 kg) autonomous lunar rover that will provide 3D maps of the moon’s surface.
Astrobotic was one of 12 payloads to receive funding as part of NASA’s Artemis lunar program. The technology will be used to help pave the way for astronauts to return to the moon by 2024, as well as prepare for future missions to Mars.
The MoonRanger will map the polar regions and lunar pits on the moon’s surface to demonstrate autonomous lunar exploration without communication.
The rover is small, fast, and can travel within a 0.6-mile (1 km) radius of the moon lander. It will map the terrain and then return to transmit the data.
As part of the contract, the MoonRanger could be mapping the moon as early as 2021 or 2022.
Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Astrobotic has more than 30 previous and ongoing NASA and commercial technology contracts. The company previously developed Peregrine, a lunar lander that delivers payloads to the moon for companies, governments, non-profits, individuals, and universities for about $545,000 per pound ($1.2 million per kilogram).
