The verified answer
As of Sep 2026, DEPLOY verifies NASA Ames Research Center: 1 model, 2 deployments across 2 regions. 2 sources back the record.
CategorySpace
Overview
NASA Ames Research Center is a NASA research facility in Mountain View, California, founded in 1939 as the second NACA laboratory. The center's Intelligent Robotics Group developed the Astrobee free-flying robotic system for use aboard the International Space Station, where three Astrobee robots (Bumble, Honey, and Queen) have been operating since 2019 to assist astronauts with research tasks, inventory, and maintenance. Ames also conducts research in aeronautics, entry systems, supercomputing, and space science.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 2 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Key facts
Center Director
Parent agency
Location
Key robotics group
Astrobee robots
Data & sources
Press releases
2
2 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Partnerships
Every company NASA Ames Research Center has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
NASA Ames Research Center on the deployment map
View the global map2 verified deployments across 2 regions, newest verified Apr 2019. Explore where NASA Ames Research Center's robots are operating, by place and type.
View the full NASA Ames Research Center deployment record →
Relationships
Current leadership (2)
- Eugene Tu Center Director
- Maria Bualat Astrobee Project Manager, Intelligent Robotics Group
Safety record
No incidents on record for NASA Ames Research Center.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operator customers (1)
- NASA Ames Research Center2 deployments
Recent coverage
NASA Ames Research Center in third-party press
Peers
56 peers across 1 segment. Every NASA Ames Research Center competitor derived from shared form-factor and application-domain edges.
space(56)
36 companies in this segment · low_concentration (HHI 1188.742650389188) · leader K2 Space at 2172%
- Airbusdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Astrobotic Technologydirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Astroscaledirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Boeingdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- China Manned Space Agencydirect competitor(inferred)strong
- China National Space Administrationdirect competitor(inferred)strong
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
- Lifecycle stage
- mature
- Counterparty risk class
- low
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships
4 total · 4 operating
Every company NASA Ames Research Center has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
All 4 partnerships
open in the atlas →- technology—operating
- nasa-ames x googlewithGoogle117technology—operating
- nasa-ames x nvidiawithNVIDIA1108technology—operating
- nasa-ames x awswithAWS976technology—operating
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 11, 2026
NASA's Astrobee Robot First Free Flight in Space
- Verified media addedVerifiedJun 7, 2026
Astrobee: ISS Robotic Free Flyer
- Record createdJun 5, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedApr 19, 2019
Astrobee at International Space Station, Earth Orbit
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedApr 1, 2019
Astrobee at International Space Station
Sources (2)
- Ames Research Center · https://www.nasa.gov/ames/
- Astrobee · https://www.nasa.gov/astrobee/
Common questions
What is NASA Ames Research Center?
What does NASA Ames Research Center make?
Who competes with NASA Ames Research Center?
Where is NASA Ames Research Center headquartered?
Where does NASA Ames Research Center operate robots?
How many robots has NASA Ames Research Center deployed?
Is NASA Ames Research Center a top robotics company?
Is NASA Ames Research Center safe?
Methodology: Verified · 2 sources (2 primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21
Verification posture
Verified
High confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- primary-company-ir
- Company IR disclosure
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for NASA Ames Research Center.Peer companies
- Impulse Space6 models
- AstroForge3 models
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- China National Space Administration3 models
- SpaceX3 models
- Astroscale2 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning NASA Ames Research Center from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Civil Servants Sworn in at NASA Ames
New civil servants and guests pose for a group photo with NASA and center leadership in the National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex (NFAC) 80-by-120-foot test section, N221 on…
NASA Ames’ Contributions to Roman’s Mission
Set to launch on Sunday, Aug. 30, NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will empower astronomers to explore vast regions of the cosmos and settle essential questions in the…
Ames Science Stars of the Month – August 2026
The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of (pictured left to right) Danielle Lopez, Jennifer Claudio, and Duncan Mifsud. Their commitment to the…
Ames Research Center Leadership and Organizations
NASA official page listing Ames Research Center leadership including Center Director Dr. Eugene Tu and Associate Center Director Amir Deylami.
Free-Flying Robots in Space: How Real-Life Droids are Assisting Astronauts
ISS National Lab article on how Astrobee robots assist astronauts on the International Space Station with tasks and research experiments.
Astrobee - NASA
NASA official page for Astrobee, three free-flying robots designed and built at Ames Research Center for use inside the International Space Station.
NASA Ames Celebrates 70th Anniversary with Exhibits in Mountain View
Space News coverage of NASA Ames 70th anniversary, noting its founding on Dec 20, 1939 as the second NACA laboratory and its evolution into a leading NASA research center.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/nasa-ames.md
- RSS feed: /companies/nasa-ames/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/1bbb0ddf-e5ec-4736-a823-ed0625bc8be1
- Revision history: /companies/nasa-ames/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Impulse Space6 models
- AstroForge3 models
- Astrobotic Technology3 models
- China National Space Administration3 models
- SpaceX3 models
- Astroscale2 models
Video
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Siqian Shen, Professor at @IOEUM, presents their CCAT-funded project, 'Towards an Efficient Robotaxi Deployment' at the 2026 CCAT Global Symposium on Mobility I
Heat Index
Serious58/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
NASA Ames Research Center draws attention at the 64th percentile but verifies reality at the 54th percentile among space robots. Hype Gap +9.5, 18th widest among space robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 2 verified deployments. Limited public funding data for capital position assessment.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Sep 4, 2026