In mid-September 2022, it was announced that Pittsburgh-based space robotics company Astrobotic Technology Inc. was expanding operations to the West Coast by acquiring Masten Space Systems, a competing space technology firm that - like Astrobotic - has had several NASA contracts. The final cost of acquisition was indicated at c.$4.5 million. ______ Masten Space Systems is an aerospace company founded to apply the operational efficiencies discovered by the commercial aviation industry to the operation of suborbital rockets. Masten is developing a line of reusable suborbital rockets with vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) capability. With the majority of work undertaken in-house, from rocket engine development and testing to precision Guidance, Navigation and Control (GN&C) to integrating many complex systems into one launch vehicle. With award winning vertical take-off/vertical landing reusable rocket vehicles. Masten is a vertically integrated aerospace R&D and flight services company creating and deploying reliable, reusable rocket vehicles and components. Building regeneratively cooled bipropellant propulsion systems and fully reusable vertical takeoff and landing launch vehicles, Mastens reusable launch vehicles demonstrate key technology components necessary for an orbital launch system with a reusable first stage. Involved in NASA's XPrize Foundation - Centennial Challenges 2006-2009- ranked according to the landing accuracy displayed on their two flights, Masten Space Systems won first place and went on the receive NASA contracts to develop vehicles to provide suborbital flight opportunities to conduct microgravity science. Masten Space Systems also entered into a competitively selected no-funds-exchanged Space Act Agreement (SAA) partnership with NASA in April 2014 to spur commercial cargo transportation capabilities to the surface of the moon. Masten Space Systems was among the firms that will not only develop capabilities that could lead to a commercial robotic spacecraft landing on the moon but also potentially enable new science and exploration missions of interest to NASA and to broader scientific and academic communities.
