Astrolab 宣布签订价值 1.6 亿美元的新合同

Astrolab announced a contract with SpaceX in March to launch FLEX on that mission on a Starship commercial lander.

Astrolab 在 3 月份宣布与 SpaceX 签订合同，在 Starship 商业着陆器上发射 FLEX 执行该任务。

Astrolab, Inc. has inked agreements with eight enterprise customers for its Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover, set to deploy payloads on the upcoming lunar mission, Mission 1. Notable participants include Argo Space, Astroport, Avalon Space, Interstellar Lab, and LifeShip, with three more customers withholding payload details until closer to launch. The collective value of these contracts exceeds $160m.

Astrolab, Inc. 已与八家企业客户签署了灵活物流和探索 (FLEX) 漫游车协议，准备在即将到来的月球任务 Mission 1 中部署有效载荷。著名参与者包括 Argo Space、Astroport、Avalon Space、Interstellar Lab 和LifeShip，还有另外三个客户在临近发射之前隐瞒了有效负载的详细信息。这些合同的总价值超过 1.6 亿美元。

SpaceX is slated to transport the FLEX rover to the lunar surface using the Starship launch system by mid-2026. Post-landing, FLEX will deploy payloads for the participating customers.

SpaceX 计划在 2026 年中期使用 Starship 发射系统将 FLEX 月球车运送到月球表面。着陆后，FLEX 将为参与的客户部署有效载荷。

Jaret Matthews, CEO and Founder of Astrolab, said: “Our entire Astrolab team is excited to welcome these businesses to Mission 1. Together, they represent a cross-section of the emerging lunar economy. We expect to make additional customer announcements as we get closer to our launch date.”

Astrolab 首席执行官兼创始人贾雷特·马修斯 (Jaret Matthews) 表示：“我们整个 Astrolab 团队很高兴欢迎这些企业加入 Mission 1。他们共同代表了新兴月球经济的一个重要组成部分。随着发布日期的临近，我们预计将发布更多客户公告。”

Matthews added that given FLEX’s total payload capacity of 1,500 kg, Astrolab is able to substantially lower the cost of deploying payloads on the lunar surface while providing manoeuvrability, range, power, and communications capabilities. The company estimates its prices are approximately ten times more affordable than those of competitors.

马修斯补充说，鉴于 FLEX 的总有效载荷能力为 1,500 公斤，Astrolab 能够大幅降低在月球表面部署有效载荷的成本，同时提供机动性、范围、功率和通信能力。该公司估计其价格比竞争对手便宜大约十倍。

Among the revealed payloads, Argo Space Corp. plans to use FLEX to advance technology for harvesting water from lunar regolith, a crucial step toward making in-space transportation more abundant and building a sustainable lunar economy. Astroport Space Technologies aims to utilise FLEX in melting regolith to create infrastructure components, including roads, launch pads, and shelters.

在公布的有效载荷中，Argo Space Corp.计划使用FLEX来推进从月球风化层中收集水的技术，这是使太空运输更加丰富和建立可持续月球经济的关键一步。 Astroport Space Technologies 的目标是利用 FLEX 融化风化层来创建基础设施组件，包括道路、发射台和避难所。

Robert Carlisle, CEO of Argo Space, said: “We’re excited to work with Astrolab on this and future missions to catalyze a commercial Lunar economy and a sustained presence on the Moon.”

Argo Space 首席执行官罗伯特·卡莱尔 (Robert Carlisle) 表示：“我们很高兴与 Astrolab 合作执行本次和未来的任务，以促进商业月球经济和在月球上的持续存在。”

Sam Ximenes, CEO of Astroport, added: “Our ideal customer for our personalised brick programme is someone from an Artemis Accords signatory country who places an order for a brick to be made from the basalt soil of their respective country. FLEX will use its robotic arm to install these bricks to begin the construction of this initial lunar road.”

Astroport 首席执行官 Sam Ximenes 补充道：“我们个性化砖块项目的理想客户是来自《阿耳忒弥斯协议》签署国的客户，他们订购了用各自国家的玄武岩土壤制成的砖块。 FLEX 将使用其机械臂安装这些砖块，开始建造这条最初的月球道路。”

Avalon Space intends to conduct a series of experiments focused on the lunar economy, emphasising the transformative potential of the next decade in beyond-Earth orbit development.

阿瓦隆航天公司打算开展一系列以月球经济为重点的实验，强调未来十年在地外轨道发展方面的变革潜力。

Dr. Nadeem Ghafoor, CEO of Avalon Space, stated: “I don’t think anyone doubts that there will likely be a pre-Starship and post-Starship point in human history. We’re thrilled to be working with Astrolab and our international and commercial partners on this first mission to help unlock the potential of this new era of beyond-Earth orbit development. The next decade is going to change everything, and we’re looking forward to doing our part to help it be as peaceful, collaborative, impactful and economically significant as possible.”

Avalon Space 首席执行官 Nadeem Ghafoor 博士表示：“我认为没有人怀疑人类历史上可能存在星际飞船前和星际飞船后的时刻。我们很高兴能与 Astrolab 以及我们的国际和商业合作伙伴合作执行这第一个任务，以帮助释放这个新时代的地外轨道开发的潜力。下一个十年将改变一切，我们期待尽自己的一份力量，帮助它尽可能和平、协作、有影响力和经济意义。”

Interstellar Lab, a multinational venture, will deploy plant pods to study the impact of the lunar environment on plant growth.

跨国企业星际实验室将部署植物荚来研究月球环境对植物生长的影响。

Barbara Belvisi, founder and CEO of Interstellar Lab, commented: “We are very excited to team up with Astrolab for our mission LITTLE PRINCE. As Antoine Saint Exupéry wrote: ‘If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers.”

Interstellar Lab 创始人兼首席执行官 Barbara Belvisi 评论道：“我们非常高兴能够与 Astrolab 合作执行我们的‘小王子’任务。正如安托万·圣埃克苏佩里所写：“如果你爱一朵生活在星星上的花，那么在夜晚仰望天空是甜蜜的。”所有的星星都开满了鲜花。”

Belvisi added: “This is the first of many Interstellar Lab missions. We look forward to helping our terrestrial customers access Space and grow a garden on the Moon.”

贝尔维西补充道：“这是星际实验室众多任务中的第一个。我们期待帮助我们的地面客户进入太空并在月球上种植花园。”

LifeShip, Inc., based in San Diego, California, is set to deliver a capsule containing a DNA seed bank and data archive to the lunar surface, inviting people worldwide to become part of humanity’s eternal legacy amongst the stars.

总部位于加利福尼亚州圣地亚哥的 LifeShip, Inc. 计划将一个包含 DNA 种子库和数据档案的胶囊运送到月球表面，邀请世界各地的人们成为人类在星际中永恒遗产的一部分。

Ben Haldeman, CEO of LifeShip, remarked: “This is an exciting mission! With LifeShip, anyone can be part of humanity’s eternal legacy amongst the stars. People can add their DNA, photos, and stories at www.lifeship.com.”

LifeShip 首席执行官本·霍尔德曼 (Ben Haldeman) 表示：“这是一项令人兴奋的使命！有了 LifeShip，任何人都可以成为人类永恒遗产的一部分。人们可以在 www.lifeship.com 上添加他们的 DNA、照片和故事。”

Upon Mission 1’s completion, Astrolab’s FLEX rover will stand as the largest and most capable lunar rover to date, with a combined mass exceeding two tons and equipped with a highly dexterous robotic arm. This groundbreaking mission marks a significant stride in lunar exploration, providing expanded opportunities for scientific experiments and commercial ventures on the Moon’s surface.

任务 1 完成后，Astrolab 的 FLEX 月球车将成为迄今为止最大、能力最强的月球车，总质量超过两吨，并配备高度灵巧的机械臂。这一开创性的任务标志着月球探索的重大进步，为月球表面的科学实验和商业投资提供了更多的机会。