Redwire has been awarded a prestigious contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop a robotic arm prototype (MANUS) for the agency’s Argonaut Lunar Lander, which will establish the capability for Europe to land 1,500-1,800 kg of cargo, infrastructure, and scientific instruments on the lunar surface.
The lunar robotic arm project that Redwire will be working on, here in Luxembourg, for ESA’s moon lander is a testimony of Luxembourg’s successful strategy in developing a thriving space ecosystem.
MANUS will be developed at Redwire’s Luxembourg facility, which currently develops Redwire’s STAARK robotic arm, a modular and easily customized robotic system designed for various on-orbit robotics applications. The MANUS system will enable Argonaut’s surface logistics operations such as offloading, precise positioning and retrieval of objects, and positioning of the lander.
Redwire is proud to be leveraging its significant heritage in space robotics technology for ESA’s Argonaut mission, ensuring that it meets the highest standards of performance, reliability, and safety, said Jaroslaw Jaworski Managing Director of Redwire Space’s Luxembourg Facility.
“Technology developments are essential in building capacity to go further in the direction of a sustainable utilization of space resources. The lunar robotic arm project that Redwire will be working on, here in Luxembourg, for ESA’s moon lander is not only a testimony of Luxembourg’s successful strategy in developing a thriving space ecosystem, but will also contribute to further position the country as a European hub for commercial space and for space resources in particular. We are looking forward to it!” says Mathias Link, deputy CEO of the Luxembourg Space Agency.
Press release by Redwire: https://redwirespace.com/newsroom