Astrobotic’s Progress in NASA’s Lunar CATALYST Program

Subsequent to Space Act Agreement execution and initiation of the Lunar CATALYST program, Astrobotic shall host a kickoff meeting to describe the plan for program implementation, which includes status and plan for Design, Development, Testing, & Evaluation (DDT&E), integrated schedule, financing, supplier engagement, risks and anticipated mitigations

Success criterion: Successful completion of the kickoff review as described above.

Astrobotic will run visual navigation and hazard avoidance on a prototype landing sensor on a VTVL rocket simulating the final 250m of descent to touchdown. Visual navigation and hazard detection and avoidance will run closed loop.

Success criterion: Landing sensor and software runs real time, determines position with sufficient accuracy for guidance and successfully selects a safe landing location.

Astrobotic will perform environmental qualification of engineering development units of a motor control system and sensor head for the lunar lander.

Success criterion: Electronics survive environmental testing. Critical software elements demonstrated to run at required rates.

Astrobotic will perform environmental qualification of engineering development units of the processing electronics for lunar lander.

Success criterion: Electronics qualified to survive mission environment. Critical software elements demonstrated to run at required rates.

Astrobotic will raise at least an amount in the door for robotic lunar lander development in 2014 (Jan-Dec) that is consistent with the 2014 lander development numbers included in Appendix B.7 of the Lunar CATALYST proposal, calculated by summing first lunar mission costs in 2014 for all WBS items 1.0-5.0 in total dollars. This value is calculated as revenue plus financing minus any payments for launch vehicle procurement or expenditures not relevant to lunar capabilities.

Success criterion: All necessary documentation is completed and total revenue plus financing is confirmed as evidenced by bank statement.

Astrobotic will develop a simulation of the intended lunar mission from launch through landing incorporating mission planning tools.

Success criterion: Simulations must include verification of attitude control, trajectory planning, pose estimation, and fuel usage from launch to landing.

Astrobotic will perform validation of engineering units of landing sensing and computing in a test flight.

Success criterion: Visual navigation, hazard detection, and landing site selection software operate online during flight on engineering units of sensors and computing.

Astrobotic shall conduct a System CDR in accordance with the CDR definition.

Success criterion: The design presented describes detailed form, fit, and function characteristics; the selected functional characteristics designated for acceptance testing; and the acceptance test requirements.

Astrobotic will perform hot-fire static and vacuum chamber tests on RCS engine

Success criterion: Characterize RCS engine performance under temperature and vacuum conditions.

Astrobotic will raise at least an amount in the door for robotic lunar lander development that is consistent with the 2014-2015 lander development numbers included in Appendix B.7 of the Lunar CATALYST proposal, calculated by summing first lunar mission costs for all WBS items 1.0-5.0 in total dollars. This value is calculated as revenue plus financing minus any payments for launch vehicle procurement or expenditures not relevant to lunar capabilities.

Success criterion: All necessary documentation is completed and total revenue plus financing is confirmed as evidenced by bank statement.

Astrobotic will perform a terrestrial qualification test of their lunar lander propulsion system.

Success criterion: Propulsion system demonstrates capability to execute lunar landing trajectory.

Peregrine Primary Flight Structure hardware complete and ready for integration with avionics, propulsion, and other subsystem hardware.

Success criterion: Astrobotic SR&MA approves Primary Structure completion prior to integration.

Astrobotic will perform an end-to-end simulation of the lunar landing with engineering unit hardware in the loop

Success criterion: Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testing complete on full mission profile.

Astrobotic will raise at least an amount in the door for robotic lunar lander development that is consistent with the 2014-2016 lander development numbers included in Appendix B.7 of the Lunar CATALYST proposal, calculated by summing first lunar mission costs for all WBS items 1.0-5.0 in total dollars. This value is calculated as revenue plus financing minus any payments for launch vehicle procurement or expenditures not relevant to lunar capabilities.

Success criterion: All necessary documentation is completed and total
revenue plus financing is confirmed as evidenced by bank statement.

Astrobotic shall conduct a Kickoff Review for a second mission with the lander reconfigured for a mission carrying a medium class lunar surface payload. Astrobotic shall host a kickoff meeting to describe the plan for program/implementation, which includes status and plan for DDT&E, integrated schedule, financing, supplier engagement, risks and anticipated mitigations

Success criterion: Successful completion of the kickoff review as
described above.

Astrobotic will assemble a flight-ready lunar lander and perform a Test Readiness Review to assess readiness for environmental testing.

Success criterion: The as-built state of the lander is described including the detailed form, fit, and function of the system as it was built and the detailed testing plan is presented.

Astrobotic will perform environmental testing including thermal vacuum, shake, mass properties, and electromagnetic interference/electromagnetic compatibility (EMI/EMC) to validate flight-readiness of the lunar lander

Success criterion: Lander passes flight environmental testing to validate flight readiness. Result is a flight-ready lander with the capability to deliver small and medium class payloads to the Moon.