Pittsburgh aerospace startup Astrobotic just landed $17.5 million in government contracts to advance reusable rockets.
Using Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants — two from NASA and one from the US Space Force — the company will accelerate the development of its Xodiac and Xogdor reusable rockets. Compared to traditional rockets, reusable rockets are designed to lower costs and allow quicker turnaround times so companies can make more frequent trips to space.
The contracts reinforce the company’s ongoing push to make spaceflight more sustainable and repeatable, according to Astrobotic CEO John Thornton.
“We are building a family of vehicles that can test technologies quickly, safely and at a fraction of the cost of traditional programs,” Thornton said. “This work can accelerate innovation across the space industry.”
Using $1.9 million from the US Space Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory, the company will build Xodiac-B. The fully reusable rocket can fly up, hover and land again, designed to test new types of small rocket engines in real flight conditions.
With $1.6 million from NASA, Astrobotic will also develop Xodiac-C, which can fly longer and move more precisely, giving engineers more time and control to test sensors, software and hardware during real flights. It also has better protection for electronics and a more flexible cargo area.
The largest grant, $14 million from NASA, will fund upgrades to the Xogdor reusable rocket. The improved version will be able to reach the edge of space, create short periods of weightlessness and fly at supersonic speeds. Once upgraded, the rocket will be able to carry heavy test equipment and fly several times a week with little turnaround time.
Trump administration cuts to federal grants and the lapse in SBIR funding have made it increasingly difficult for startups to secure these funds. The SBIR website states: “If no further action is taken by Congress, federal agencies may not be able to award funding under SBIR/STTR programs and SBIR/STTR solicitations may be delayed, cancelled or rescinded.”
Space Force officials have warned that the program’s expiration could stifle innovation, as Congress delays action on reauthorizing the program. Astrobotic did not immediately respond to a request for comment about what these delays could mean for the recent grant.
Beginning as a Carnegie Mellon University spinout, Astrobotic boasts over $600 million in contracts, 275 employees and lunar missions under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which allows NASA to contract commercial entities for lunar delivery services.
“Each flight we conduct,” Sean Bedford, senior director of business development at Astrobotic, said, “is a leap toward making space routine and accessible.”
