NASA Extends Astrobee Program Through Unfunded Partnership with Arkisys

Editor’s note: This article was updated on Sept. 30, 2025, to correct that the signed contract is an unfunded Space Act Agreement. NASA is continuing the Astrobee mission through a collaboration with Arkisys, Inc., of Los Alamitos, California. Arkisys was awarded an unfunded Space Act Agreement to sustain and maintain the robotic platform aboard the International Space Station.

As NASA returns astronauts to the Moon, robotic helpers like Astrobee could one day take over routine maintenance tasks and support future spacecraft at the Moon and Mars without requiring continuous human operation. In March, NASA issued a call for partnership proposals to support ongoing space research initiatives.

Arkisys was selected to maintain the platform and enable partners to use the Astrobee system to experiment with new technologies in the space station’s microgravity environment. Launched in 2018, Astrobee consists of three free-flying, cube-shaped robots—Bumble, Honey, and Queen—along with software and a docking station for recharging.

The robots have achieved multiple first-in-space milestones working alongside astronauts on tasks such as spacecraft monitoring and alert simulations in collaboration with industry and academic researchers. The mission supports NASA’s broader goal of developing robotic systems and technologies that can perform tasks, maintenance, and monitoring as humans venture farther into space for longer durations.

Key Topics

Science, Nasa, Arkisys, Astrobee, International Space Station, Space Act Agreement