Atlanta, July 20, 2009 — On the 40th anniversary of the landing of the Apollo 11 mission on the lunar surface, SpaceWorks Commercial announces that it is assisting Astrobotic Technology, Inc., one of the leading contenders for the Google Lunar X PRIZE, to analyze and determine the commercial potential of future robotic missions to the moon.

The Google Lunar X PRIZE calls for privately-funded teams to compete in successfully launching, landing, and traveling across the surface of the moon. The X PRIZE Foundation will award US$20 million to the first team to land a robot on the moon that successfully travels more than 500 meters and transmits back high definition images and video. There is a US$5 million second prize, as well as US$5 million in potential bonus prizes. For more information about the Google Lunar X PRIZE, please visit www.googlelunarxprize.org.

SpaceWorks Commercial, having a history of examining new economic endeavors such as suborbital/orbital space tourism, lunar propellant production, and commercial transportation services to the International Space Station (ISS), is applying its expertise to look at the revenue potential of robotic lunar missions. SpaceWorks Commercial is assisting the Astrobotic team in overall business and economic planning. The firm is examining the first mission to win the Google Lunar X PRIZE and the business case for follow-on commercial services to the lunar surface.

SpaceWorks Commercial, a division of Atlanta-based aerospace engineering consultancy SpaceWorks Engineering, Inc. (SEI), seeks to create value-added partnerships with the emerging entrepreneurial space community as well as international space industry leaders. Key goals of this division include advancing innovative solutions to challenges in space access, space development, space-based energy, and high-speed flight.

"We are pleased to assist Astrobotic in enhancing their already comprehensive business plan. We are applying our quantitative industry experience to help the team analyze specific commercialization options,” says Mr. A.C. Charania, President of SpaceWorks Commercial. "We are working with Astrobotic to not just look at winning the Google Lunar X PRIZE, but how to develop a viable company based around the intellectual and engineering capital that will be developed as part of the effort to the win this Prize. We believe Astrobotic is the leading contender to win the Google Lunar X PRIZE and we look forward to our continued involvement in developing the business before, during, and after the team has won the Prize."

"Astrobotic will build a proprietary library of lunar data sets to serve the planning needs of NASA, other space agencies and commercial firms with lunar ambitions,” said John Kohut, CEO of Astrobotic Technology. "The research and quantitative evaluations generated by SpaceWorks Commercial will be a respected third-party judgment of the data sets that we will collect during our expeditions."

About The Google Lunar X PRIZE

The $30 million prize purse is segmented into a $20 million Grand Prize, a $5 million Second Prize and $5 million in bonus prizes. To win the Grand Prize, a team must successfully soft land a privately funded spacecraft on the Moon, rove on the lunar surface for a minimum of 500 meters, and transmit a specific set of video, images and data back to the Earth. The Grand Prize is $20 million until December 31st 2012; thereafter it will drop to $15 million until December 31st 2014 at which point the competition will be terminated unless extended by Google and the X PRIZE Foundation. For more information about the Google Lunar X PRIZE, please visit www.googlelunarxprize.org.

About SpaceWorks Commercial

SpaceWorks Commercial, a division of SpaceWorks Engineering, Inc. (SEI), works with entrepreneurial ventures to enhance existing or to facilitate new business opportunities, provide consulting and advocacy services to help bring space projects to maturation. The division’s capabilities include: Strategic, quantitative-based insight, technical aerospace systems analysis and design services (utilizing sister division, SpaceWorks Engineering), financial engineering, and space media. Recent divisional projects include space solar power economics, small satellite applications and demand, global high speed point to point cargo delivery, and space transportation. SEI is privately held. (www.sei.aero)

Contact:
Mr. A.C. Charania
President
SpaceWorks Commercial
A Division of SpaceWorks Engineering, Inc. (SEI)
1200 Ashwood Parkway, Suite 185
Atlanta, GA 30338 USA
1+770.379.8006 (Direct)
1+770.379.8001 (Fax)
ac@sei.aero

About Astrobotic Technology

The company was formed in fall 2007 to build a lunar data repository through a series of robotic expeditions that also deliver payloads and provide exclusive content to the media and corporate marketers. Astrobotic has completed a research contract for NASA on how to robotically construct landing pads for the agency’s human missions, and it has secured lunar contracts from two commercial firms. Prototype rovers are now being field-tested at Carnegie Mellon University by Dr. William “Red” Whittaker, the firm’s chairman. More information is available at www.astrobotictech.com.

Contact:
Mr. John Kohut
Chief Executive Officer
Astrobotic Technology, Inc.
4551 Forbes Avenue, Suite 300
Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA
1+412.432.6502
john.kohut@astrobotictech.com