Astrobotic Technology Inc.
Astrobotic Red Rover at LaFarge Slag Heap
The Team to Beat...
As of February 17th, 2011, 29 private teams are now competing for the Google Lunar X Prize. Each team is trying to be the first one to send a rover to the moon, land it, and have it move around the surface and take HD video. This competition started in 2007, and each team has slowly made progress on their rover/lander designs and planning their mission. So what is happening now with the competition that gets me very excited? One team in particular has really stepped up to move the competition forward, maybe faster than other teams were expecting (or hoping...). Astrobotic Technology Inc., founded by Red Whittaker, is really bringing attention to the competition and their company when they partnered with SpaceX to launch their rover on a Falcon 9 vehicle. Not only do they have the potential to win the competition, but they have the chance to make research trips to the moon commonplace.
In this post, we will look at Astrobotic Technology Inc., the founder, their history in robotics, and why they have a great chance of winning the Google Lunar X Prize with their vehicle, the Red Rover.
4 Comments