| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Robert Böhme |
| Fate | Active |
| Headquarters | Berlin ,Germany |
| Products | Lunar lander |
| Services | Lunar transportation |
| Website | pts |
Planetary Transportation Systems (PTS), formerly known asPTScientists andPart-Time Scientists, is a Berlin-based aerospace company. They developed the robotic lunar lander "ALINA" and seek to land on the Moon with it. They became the first German team to officially enter theGoogle Lunar X-Prize competition on June 24, 2009,[1] but failed to reach the finals in 2017 for lack of a launch contract.[2] During the summer of 2019, the company filed for bankruptcy, and the ALINA project was put on hold. In July 2021, PTS was selected withArianeGroup to buildESA's ASTRIS kick-stage.[3]
PTScientists GmbH is the company representing the team competing at the Google Lunar X-Prize. The company opened offices inBerlin-Mahlsdorf in 2015. It sells payload for the Moon mission to individuals, organizations and companies. The cost for one kilogram of payload is between €700,000 and €800,000.[4]Furthermore, the know-how of the team is available as aconsulting service.[5] As of April 2018, theEuropean Space Agency was studying six private companies, including PTScientists, to work on potentialISRU payload delivery to the Moon surface by 2025.[6]
An additional source of income aremerchandising products for the Moon mission.[7][8] PTScientists lists several partners and sponsors in their web site.[9]
The PTScientists team formed in June 2009 as "Part-Time Scientists", when ten teams had already enteredGoogle Lunar X-Prize (GLXP), which had started in 2007. Later the company PTScientists GmbH (Limited) was founded.
On August 22–23, 2009, the PTScientists presented their project at the Open Doors Day of theFederal Ministry for Education and Research.[citation needed]
On December 28, 2009, the team presented their mission at the 26th annualChaos Communication Congress. In a two-hour presentation, the team provided a detailed overview of all parts of the project. This was the first time the European-made privatelunar rover prototype had been presented to the public.[10][11]
Early 2015 the team won awards in the categories Mobility and Vision, and a total of $750,000 in the Milestone Prizes ofGLXP.[12]
During the Advertising Festival inCannes, on June 23, 2015,Audi was announced as a main sponsor and the rover developer.[13][14] As a result of this cooperation, the two identical rovers were namedAudi Lunar Quattro during the 2016North American International Auto Show in Detroit.[15]
 ALINA lander and ALQ rover | |
| Mission type | Robotic lander and 2 rovers |
|---|---|
| Operator | PTScientists |
| Website | mission-to-the-moon |
| Mission duration | one lunar day (28 days) maximum |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | ALINA |
| Spacecraft type | lunar lander |
| Manufacturer | PTScientists |
| Launch mass | 1,250 kg (2,760 lb)[16] |
| Landing mass | ALINA: ~320 kg (710 lb) Rovers: 30 kg (66 lb) each |
| Dry mass | ALINA: 220 kg (490 lb) Fuel mass: 930 kg (2,050 lb)[16] |
| Payload mass | ALINA: 100 kg (220 lb) max. Rovers: 5 kg (11 lb) max. each[16] |
| Dimensions | ALINA: 2.6 m × 2.2 m × 1.8 m Rovers: |
| Power | ALINA: Rovers: 90 W[16] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | TBD[17] |
| Rocket | Ariane 64[17] |
| Contractor | ArianeGroup[17] |
| Moon rover | |
| Spacecraft component | Audi Lunar Quattro-1 (ALQ-1) andAudi Lunar Quattro-2 (ALQ-2) |
| Landing site | Taurus–Littrow |
| Transponders | |
| Band | X band andS band[16] |
In March 2017, the group announced that they planned to perform the world's first privateMoon landing[18] with a mission they now simply call "Mission to the Moon". A landing module calledAutonomous Landing and Navigation Module (ALINA) would launch in 2021[17] on anAriane 64 rocket[17] to the surface of the Moon.
The ALINA lander would deploy two lunar rovers, but none of the three spacecraft are designed to endure the long lunar night.[16] The three spacecraft are technology demonstrators to showcase the lander's capabilities, including landing near the desired landing zone, roving, and real-time communication.
By late 2016, PTScientists had secured agreements to deliver payloads from the U.S., Canada and Sweden,[19] but only one payload (fromNASA Ames) has been disclosed.
ALINA is a lunar lander with a launch mass of 1,250 kg (2,760 lb) and a landing mass of about 320 kg (710 lb).[16] Its main engines are in a cluster of eight, each generating 200 newtons. It also features eightattitude control thrusters generating 10 newtons each.[16] ALINA is built to host three general types of payload, which are rovers, stationary and orbital (deployment ofCubeSats), but for its first mission it will deploy two rovers and no satellites.
This mission aims to land 3 to 5 km (1.9 to 3.1 mi) away from theApollo 17 landing site in theTaurus–Littrow lunar valley,[19] to locate and film from a distance theLunar Roving Vehicle left there byNASA astronautsEugene Cernan andHarrison Schmitt in 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission.[18] PTScientists have pledged to preserve this and all other NASA and Soviet lunar landers and rovers as "world heritage" and through their support forFor All Moonkind Inc.[20]
TheAudi Lunar Quattro (ALQ) rovers are being[when?] developed by German automobile manufacturerAudi.[7][21] The prototype rover is calledAsimov Jr. R3, while the two flight rovers are namedAudi Lunar Quattro (ALQ).[21][22] The rovers feature four-wheel drive tranmision where each wheel is able to pivot 360° for special maneuvers, and their solar panel is able to tilt in the direction of the Sun for best power generation.
The rovers' projected maximum speed is 3.6 km/h (2.2 mph), and they will carry two stereo cameras to acquire 3D images, mounted to a moving head at the front of the vehicle.[19] ALINA lander will communicate with the rovers using technology based onInfineon chips, Nokia, and Vodafone's 4GLTE.[23][7] In turn, the lander will communicate with Earth Control using theEuropean Space Operations Centre (ESTRACK) network.[16]
In addition of hardware for a live video broadcast, the lander and rovers will carry commercial or scientific instruments for a fee.[7] The lander, ALINA, has a capacity for 100 kg (220 lb) including the two 30 kg rovers, and each rover has a capacity for 5 kg (11 lb) payload.[16]
During its first mission, the lander is envisaged to carry three customer payloads, including an experiment designed byNASA Ames, called Lunar Plant Growth Experiment (LPX).[24][25] This is an experiment for investigatinggermination and initial plant growth when subject to the combined effects of lunar gravity and lunar surface radiation.[26] The experiment will try to growArabidopsis (a flowering plant), basil, sunflowers, and turnips in a sealed "biosphere" cylinder about 10 cm in diameter withlife-support systems.[27] A miniature camera will photograph any growth. Research in suchclosed ecological systems informastrobiology and the development of biologicallife support systems for long duration missions inspace stations orspace habitats forspace farming.[28][29][30]
In January 2019, ESA contractor Ariane Group announced that it has received a one-year contract from ESA to study a lunar lander concept to minelunar regolith to extract natural resources. PTScientists were awarded a subcontract and are responsible for the payload delivery portion of the study. The mission would be launched on anAriane 64 in 2025.[2]
