Motiv Space Systems

Motiv Space Systems was founded in 2014 by three experienced robotics engineers, Chris Thayer, Brett Lindenfeld, and Tom McCarthy, who set out to develop and build space-based robotic systems more efficiently and with a higher level of quality and capability than existing competitors. The company is headquartered at 350 N Halstead St, Pasadena, CA 91107.

Motiv quickly earned and successfully executed NASA and JPL contracts for a range of missions, most notably designing and building the seven-foot, five-degree-of-freedom robotic arm on NASA/JPL's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover, which carries key science instruments such as SHERLOC, WATSON, PIXL, and the rover's coring drill. The company also engineered the optomechanical systems for Perseverance's Mastcam-Z stereo camera and its filter wheel, and has contributed motion control, mobility, chassis, and mechanism systems to JPL's CADRE lunar rover mission.

In 2020, Motiv launched its xLink Robotic Arm System, a space-rated, modular robotic arm platform built by the same team behind the Perseverance arm, aimed at bringing dexterous robotic arm capabilities to a broader range of missions at lower cost and shorter lead times. The xLink system flew on NASA's OSAM-2 mission to perform in-space assembly and manufacturing tasks. Motiv later introduced ModuLink, a scalable, modular robotic system built on xLink technology designed for on-orbit servicing tasks such as repairs, replacements, refueling, satellite and debris removal, and satellite relocation.

Beyond robotic arms, Motiv designs and manufactures a line of space-rated motor controllers (including the Alpha-II, Bravo, and Delta controllers) for brushless DC and stepper motors used in robotics, gimbals, positioners, focus mechanisms, filter wheels, and cryocoolers, along with custom mechanisms for imaging, deployment, and instrument systems used across NASA, JPL, and commercial space missions.