Case Study: Astrobotic Technology achieves lunar-robotics breakthroughs with SOLIDWORKS

Designing robotic systems for space exploration with SOLIDWORKS

Astrobotic Technology, a Carnegie Mellon–founded commercial space robotics company led by William L. “Red” Whittaker, needed an affordable, full-featured CAD platform that integrated with its existing tools and supported rapid visualization, communication, and machining workflows to design lunar landers and rovers for the Google Lunar XPRIZE and commercial payload services. To meet that challenge the team adopted SolidWorks' SOLIDWORKS Professional design software across the company and with partner Carnegie Mellon.

Using SolidWorks, Astrobotic developed a lunar lander and multiple solar-powered rovers, streamlined design reviews and manufacturing (including integration with MasterCAM), and accelerated delivery of space hardware. As a result Astrobotic was named one of three industry partners under NASA’s Lunar CATALYST program, won three Google Lunar XPRIZE Milestone prizes, has secured roughly 18 NASA contracts to date, and positioned its Griffin lander for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9.

Astrobotic Technology

John Thornton

Chief Engineer