Astrobotic
Technology, Inc. has chosen Raytheon Company to help chase down the Google Lunar X Prize and plan a lunar landing mission.
"We
have great confidence in Raytheon's ability to co-develop a spacecraft that can
land on a dime," said William "Red" Whittaker, Astrobotic's
Chief Technology Officer and Lunar Mission Commander.
Whittaker
announced in September
that Astrobotic was joining the race for the Google Lunar X Prize,
which offers $30 million for successfully landing a privately funded robotic
rover on the moon. Astrobotic plans to contract Raytheon for help with
engineering management, lander design, and high bandwidth telecommunications
for its lunar program. Raytheon will also focus on developing key technologies
for advanced thrust controlled descent, ascent and movement, including
automated topographic scene matching.
"We
are delighted to work with Dr. Whittaker on this extraordinary lunar project,"
said Mike Booen, Raytheon vice president of Advanced Missile Defense &
Directed Energy. "Development of a lunar lander is a natural extension for
the company's space-proven technologies."
Raytheon
has experience in space missions that dates back to the Apollo era, when
Raytheon provided solutions for the Saturn launch vehicle, lunar modules, and
space suits. Raytheon has deployed more than 100 unique control systems for
military and commercial satellites as well as 75 GPS systems for the Department
of Defense, civil, commercial and national markets ranging in scope from
navigation, transportation, surveying and rescue operations.
Whittaker, also
a leading professor of robotics at Carnegie Mellon University, formed Astrobotic Technology, Inc. with several colleagues
as a privately held seed-stage company in November 2007. He plans to carry out
the lunar mission as well as undertake potential commercial orbital transfer
services and potential cis-lunar services.
The prize
is co-sponsored by Silicon
Valley powerhouse
Google, Inc. and the X Prize Foundation. The foundation's previous prize – the
$10 million Ansari X Prize to spur commercial development of suborbital
spaceflight – was won by Scaled
Composites of California, which is now helping Richard
Branson's Virgin Galactic Corp. build a commercial
version of its vehicle.
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