Stone Aerospace
Stone Aerospace (Del Valle, TX, est. 1998) develops autonomous underwater vehicles and cryobots for NASA-funded ocean and ice-shelf exploration, including.
Stone Aerospace is a Texas-based engineering company founded in 1998 by Dr. Bill Stone, specializing in autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and smart systems for frontier exploration in both ocean and space analog environments. The company is headquartered in Del Valle (Austin area), Texas.
Stone Aerospace develops technology for some of the most extreme environments on Earth and in the solar system. Its core competencies include autonomous systems, mobile robotics, fiber-tethered and Wi-Fi-controlled vehicles, 3D mapping using laser radar and high-resolution sonar, guidance and navigation systems, auto-docking systems, embedded devices, high-density power systems, and closed-cycle life support.
Key projects include DEPTHX (Deep Phreatic Thermal Explorer), an autonomous hovering AUV funded by NASA in 2003 to explore and autonomously map deep hydrothermal springs and cenotes in Mexico. ENDURANCE (Environmentally Non-Disturbing Under-ice Robotic Antarctic Explorer) explored frozen-over lakes in Antarctica's Dry Valleys over two field seasons. ARTEMIS (Autonomous Rovers/airborne-radar Transects of the Environment beneath the McMurdo Ice Shelf) is a 20-km-range hover-capable AUV deployed to explore and characterize the environment beneath Antarctic ice shelves as a planetary analog for searching for life in ice-covered oceans. VALKYRIE is a cryobot — a thermally-driven ice-penetrating robot — designed for eventual deployment on icy moons such as Europa or Enceladus. SUNFISH is a commercially deployed AUV variant used for underwater cave and spring exploration. PROMETHEUS is an advanced cryobot capable of melting through deep glacial ice.
The company supports NASA Astrobiology programs and collaborates with universities including Carnegie Mellon and the University of Texas at Austin. Stone Aerospace's work directly informs technology development for proposed missions to Jupiter's moon Europa and Saturn's moon Enceladus. The company employs seasoned expeditionary scientists, engineers, and software developers who personally field-test equipment in demanding environments.
Primary type & automation activities this supplier delivers:
ARTEMIS AUV
- Model: ARTEMIS
- Launch Year: 2015
20-km-range hover-capable autonomous underwater vehicle designed for exploration beneath Antarctic ice shelves and planetary ocean analogs.
DEPTHX AUV
- Model: DEPTHX
- Launch Year: 2004
NASA-funded hovering AUV for fully autonomous 3D mapping and exploration of deep hydrothermal springs and cenotes.
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Contact Stone Aerospace
WEBSITE
https://stoneaerospace.comPHONE
+1 512-421-4100HEADQUARTERS
United States
Company Facts
Founded
1998
Primary Role
Manufacturer
Company Size
employees 10-50
Primary Region
North America
Annual Sales
-
Funding Stage
-
Funding Total
-
