NASA is continuing the Astrobee mission through a collaboration with Arkisys, of Los Alamitos, California, which was awarded a reimbursable Space Act Agreement to sustain and maintain the robotic platform aboard the International Space Station.
As the agency 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 relying on humans for continuous operation.
In March, the agency issued a call for partnership proposals to support its ongoing space research initiatives. Arkisys was selected to maintain the platform and continue enabling partners to use the Astrobee system as a means to experiment with new technologies in the microgravity environment of the space station.
NASA launched the Astrobee mission to the space station in 2018. Since then, the free-flying robots have marked multiple first-in-space milestones for robots working alongside astronauts to accomplish spacecraft monitoring, alert simulations, and more in partnership with researchers from industry and academia.
The Astrobee system includes three colorful, cube-shaped robots – named “Bumble”, “Honey”, and “Queen” – along with software and a docking station for recharging.
The mission has advanced NASA’s goal of developing robotic systems and technologies that can perform tasks and support exploration, maintenance, and monitoring as humans venture further into space for longer durations.
The International Space Station is a convergence of science, technology, and human innovation enabling research not possible on Earth.
For nearly 25 years, NASA has supported a continuous US human presence aboard the orbiting laboratory, where astronauts have learned to live and work in space for extended periods of time.
The space station is a springboard for developing a low Earth economy and NASA’s next great leaps in human exploration at the Moon and Mars.
Commercializing space
For its part, Arkisys says this agreement demonstrates the company’s “commitment to advancing next-generation space technologies” by working with NASA and supporting its efforts to drive commercial innovation and transform traditional space capabilities.
Arkisys will work with NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, and Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, to extend the life and capability of Astrobee, continuing its legacy as a testbed for groundbreaking science, technology demonstrations, and in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) advancements.
The Arkisys Port Module is designed for long-duration and multi-use missions, and serves as a space-based platform to host, service, and integrate customer payloads in orbit.
NASA’s Astrobee consists of three autonomous free flyer robots, software, and a docking station aboard the Space Station, providing mobility, interaction, and experimentation capabilities in microgravity.
Together, they will establish an end-to-end pipeline that advances technology readiness and enables faster, more reliable deployment of human and robotic missions in space.
David Barnhart, CEO of Arkisys, says: “It is an honor to be selected by NASA to sustain such a unique capability. Astrobee’s creation reflects the same reasons Arkisys was founded.
“By merging Astrobee’s free-flight agility with our Port architecture, we are creating a pipeline that accelerates academic, small business, and government technologies into real ISAM (In-space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) practice.”
Astrobee’s microgravity test environment bridges the gap between lab-based testing and full orbital deployment, while Arkisys’s Ports offer scalable, serviceable, commercial platforms for sustained operations in space.
They accelerate technology readiness and validation, reduce operational delays, and create new revenue and mission opportunities for customers.
This milestone further positions Arkisys for continued growth as it expands partnerships, capabilities, and opportunities for strategic investment in the rapidly evolving space economy.
“Arkisys is proud to help carry that legacy forward, ensuring the expertise developed and lessons learned on the International Space Station will thrive,” says Barnhart.
The Arkisys new website will now feature more information on the Astrobee flight platform and events coming up to restart this groundbreaking capability.
Main image: NASA astronaut Anne McClain poses with Astrobee robots Bumble (left) and Honey during their latest on orbit activity in May, 2025. Picture from NASA.
