Motiv Space Systems

Headquartered in California, Motiv Space Systems develops advanced space robotic infrastructure, powering Martian exploration, on-orbit assembly, and more. The company also delivers advanced motion control solutions for the extreme environments of space and equipment for HD imaging.

In 2020, the company launched its xLink Space-Rated Modular Robotic Arm System, suited to a wide range of on-orbit assembly and manipulation tasks, satellite servicing, and exploration of the moon and Mars. Furthermore, its ModuLink system can add systems like robotic arms, connectors, and sensors to a wide variety of satellite designs and applications. The company has improvised on these technology and created systems such as DEEDS (The Distributed Extreme Environments Drive System), which is capable of delivering an entire drive system and can be fully customized for mission-specific application even in extreme temperatures, and Robomantis, which is built to perform tasks with the strength and precision of a robot on a human scale.

As of 2024, Motive Space was developing the Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Exploration (CADRE) mission for NASA’s JPL, slated to be launched to the Moon in 2024. CADRE would demonstrate a networked trio of robotic rovers, each the size of a carry-on luggage bag, to autonomously map a region of the lunar subsurface spending one lunar day (14 Earth days). 

Key customer and partnerships

The company has served NASA with several space missions including Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover, OSAM-1 (previously known as Restore-L) which was scheduled for launch in 2024, and OSAM-2 On-Orbit Servicing, Assembly & Manufacturing mission in which a Motiv xLink robotic arm would launch onboard a spacecraft designed to build a 3D-printed solar array while orbiting the earth. The company is also involved in NASA’s Extreme Environment Exploration project and Cold Operable Lunar Deployable Arm (COLDArm) project, which is a collaborative effort between NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Motiv.

In March 2022, Motiv Space Systems was awarded a contract under the Defense Innovation Unit's (DIU's) Modularity for Space Systems Program (M4SS) to work with sub-contractor Blue Origin. In April 2023, the company partnered with PickNik Robotics to develop advanced space robotics by integrating PickNik’s MoveIt Studio technology for robot arm control with Motiv’s xLink robot arm product line.