Astrobotic Technology is a privately held company that delivers space robotics and planetary missions. It was founded in 2008 by Carnegie Mellon professor Red Whittaker and his associates, with the goal of winning the Google Deep Space Prize The company is based in Pittsburg , Pennsylvania, and has reserved a launch on a SpaceX launch vehicle for October 2015. As of August 2012, the company is partnered with Carnegie Mellon University, International Rectifier, Ansys, AGI, Alcoa, and Caterpillar.