WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Astrobotic plans to fly 35 kilograms of customer payloads on its first mission to place a rover on the moon, with the option to upgrade to 265 kilograms on future missions, the release explained.
"Together, our two organizations will honor the past and trail blaze the lunar future," Astrobotic Chief Executive Officer John Thornton said.
Customers in six nations have signed 11 agreements to contribute payloads to the 2019 mission, the release noted.
Astrobotic, an aerospace and robotics company, is competing to become the first private space company to land a rover on the moon.