Astronika sp. z o.o.
"space solutions here & now"
Polish space-mechanisms SME (est. 2013) behind the ExoMars rover egress ramps, InSight's HP3 hammer drive and a docking hard lock for D-Orbit's RISE servicer.
Astronika sp. z o.o. is a privately owned Polish space engineering company founded in 2013 and based in Raszyn, near Warsaw. A group of engineers with backgrounds in specialised space mechanisms and project coordination set it up. LinkedIn lists it in the 51-200 employee band. Astronika is ISO 9001:2015 certified for the design, development, production and testing of space mechanisms. It has worked on missions including NASA InSight, ESA JUICE, Hera, PROSPECT, RadCube, Athena and ExoMars.
Its products are built to order for large primes, SMEs, agencies and governments. They include electromagnetically driven penetrators and drills for subsurface sampling; non-pyrotechnic hold-down and release mechanisms; deployable structures, especially tubular booms and antenna booms; ultra-light manipulators with several degrees of freedom; orbital deployers; micro-satellite structures; space bearings; electromagnetic and positioning actuators; propulsion valves; separation rings; and mechanical ground support equipment. For planetary surfaces it builds rover egress ramps, hoppers, lander mechanisms, bioreactors and regolith compactors. It also offers structural and thermal analysis, tribology and coatings work, manufacturing, testing, and rental of its cleanroom, thermal-vacuum and shock-test facilities.
Its best-known planetary robotics hardware is on Mars missions. For NASA's InSight lander, Astronika supplied DLR with a redesigned hammering mechanism for the HP3 'mole' penetrator. The mechanism was meant to drive heat-flow sensors up to five metres below the Martian surface; it began operating in 2019 and was stood down in January 2021. For ESA's ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, Astronika supplies two subsystems. The Egress Subsystem has four ramp-and-rail assemblies with hinges, guide rails, friction grids, Frangibolt-based hold-down and release mechanisms, sensors and dust protection panels, and lets the rover drive off the lander in either of two directions. The Antenna Deployable Boom stows, releases and deploys the rover's helical UHF antenna. In 2026 the company reported a two-month test campaign in Turin in which a twin of the rover drove down the egress system more than 20 times under Mars-representative conditions, ahead of a launch planned for October 2028.
In 2026 Astronika also began its first orbital-robotics contract: a Hard Lock docking mechanism for D-Orbit's RISE mission. RISE is an ESA-backed demonstration in which a servicer will approach a working geostationary satellite on its own, capture it, dock and take over orbit control to extend its life. The Hard Lock gives the rigid, lasting connection between the two spacecraft after capture and positioning. On the research side, Astronika has published Galago, a hopping robot of up to 10 kg for lunar scouting. Galago has three legs driven by spring-energy actuators storing up to 50 J each, which give hops of 3-7 m in lunar gravity. Astronika's ASTRO-MODULES project, co-financed by the EU through Poland's Smart Growth programme, develops standard solar-panel opening, separation and boom systems for small satellites.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
ExoMars Egress Subsystem (EGRSS)
Rover egress system for ESA's Rosalind Franklin: four deployable ramp-and-rail assemblies with HDRMs and sensors for front or rear drive-off from the lander.
ExoMars Antenna Deployable Boom (ADB)
Mechanism that stows, releases (thermal-knife HDRM) and deploys the Rosalind Franklin rover's helical UHF antenna on an I-beam aluminium boom.
HP3 penetrator hammering mechanism (NASA InSight)
Redesigned hammer drive for DLR's HP3 'mole', meant to carry heat-flow probes up to 5 m below the Martian surface; operated on InSight from 2019 to January 2021.
Hard Lock docking mechanism (D-Orbit RISE)
Docking mechanism that rigidly locks D-Orbit's RISE servicer to a client GEO satellite after capture and positioning; Astronika's first orbital-robotics contract.
Galago hopping robot
Research lunar scouting hopper (up to 10 kg) with three spring-energy leg actuators (up to 50 J each), giving 3-7 m hops in lunar gravity.
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Contact Astronika sp. z o.o.
WEBSITE
https://astronika.plPHONE
+48 512 876 000HEADQUARTERS
Poland
Company Facts
Founded
2013
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
-
Primary Region
Europe
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
Certifications & Memberships
Keywords
- Astronika sp. z o.o.
- ExoMars egress
- rover egress ramp
- HP3 mole
- penetrator
- hold-down and release mechanism
- tubular boom
- docking mechanism
- hopping robot
- Galago
- Manufacturer
- Component Supplier
- Custom Manufacturer
- Motion & Actuation
- End-effector & Grasping
- Aerospace & Space
- Space Explore
- On Orbit Servicing
