Astrobotic Technology Inc. has signed an agreement with Mexico's national space agency that will see the Pittsburgh-based company deliver the first payload from Latin America to the moon.
Announcing the deal Wednesday, Astrobotic said the agreement marks Agencia Espacial Mexicana's first step to another planetary body.
“Opening access to the Moon is precisely at the core of Astrobotic’s mission,” John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic, said in a statement. “AEM’s rising space science and exploration community is yet one more example of the immense international interest in the Moon as a destination for science, exploration, and other activities. We are proud to be partnered with our friends in Mexico.”
Founded in 2007, Astrobotic is among a handful of teams pursuing the $30 million Google Lunar XPRIZE. Astrobotic, based in the Strip District, has been working to fill its first lunar mission with scientific, educational, marketing and other payloads.