Introduction

Designed for cows and farmers

Transform your farm with the new milestone in milking. The Lely Astronaut is an evolution that incorporates everything we have learned during the past 25 years since we pioneered automatic milking. We took into consideration the needs of cows and our customers to create an enhanced cow- and farmer-friendly milking system.

Astronaut USP's

  • Cow comfort

    Cow comfort

    Achieve optimal comfort for your cows by letting them decide when to eat, drink, relax, or be milked. The hybrid arm, I-flow concept, and teat detection system contribute to a healthier cow and increase visiting behaviour.

  • Ease of use

    Ease of use

    Stay in total control over your herd with our user-friendly interface and cutting-edge management system, Horizon. Easily navigate through dashboards, tasks, alerts, predictions, information, and reports.

  • Peace of mind

    Peace of mind

    Enjoy peace of mind. The more you can rely on the Astronaut, the better you can utilise saved hours and enjoy flexibility.

  • Lower cost of ownership

    Lower cost of ownership

    The Astronaut is built to realize a significant lower cost per kilogram of milk produced. Thanks to smart, state of the art technique and the unique hybrid robot arm it helps you to produce high-quality milk at a low cost price.

Video

This is how the Astronaut works

Explore the

Astronaut

I-Flow

The Astronaut’s I‑Flow system offers a natural way of milking, with a cow‑friendly design. Cows can enter the Astronaut easily, simply by walking straight ahead.

Hybrid arm

The hybrid arm of the Astronaut creates a silent, relaxed environment for cows to be milked. Its movements are electrically driven, without the use of air, which means a huge gain in energy efficiency.

Cleaning with brushes

For optimal hygiene and stimulation, brushes clean the teats and the underside of the udder. The tactile cleaning of the teats with brushes offers the best stimulation for the milk‑let‑down response.

Consistent attaching

Fast, consistent and accurate connecting is more relaxing for the cow. That’s why a robot is more suitable for milking than a human. A three‑layer laser system delivers the most accurate teat‑position information.

Intuitive user interface

With a friendly design of the intuitive user interface, you will find it remarkably easy to find your way around functions, settings, information, and reports.

Build on experience

Milking solution

Astronaut

This automatic milking system is designed with the cow in mind, offering the most natural way to milk. The I-flow concept, hybrid arm, and teat detection system contribute to smooth and quick milking for all cows in the herd, resulting in a new milestone in cow comfort.

 

Features

Build on experience

This automatic milking system is designed with the cow in mind, offering the most natural way to milk. The I-flow concept, hybrid arm, and teat detection system contribute to smooth and quick milking for all cows in the herd, resulting in a new milestone in cow comfort.

Cows dislike obstacles, which is why the I-flow concept offers a straight route with unhindered entrance, leading cows to their milking turn with ease. As a result, the threshold for cows to enter the robot will be lower.

The hybrid arm combines fast and accurate electrical-driven movements with the softness and the power of air for stress-free milking. The air protects the electrical system by balancing the heavy load of the arm and buffering cow kicks. The hybrid arm is silent, allowing cows to experience more rest during milking.

A three-layer laser system delivers the most accurate teat position information and stores the data after each milking. The system’s 3D camera helps localise the cow’s position in the box, allowing the brushes and cups to find the teats with ease.

The healthier the udders, the better the milk. This is why the Astronaut is equipped with a unique brush cleaning system that is designed to remove encrusted dirt and manure around the teats and the underside of the udders, ultimately stimulating milk let-down. After cleaning the teats, the brushes are thoroughly disinfected to help minimise the risk of cross-contamination.

Lely farmers score better!*

Every year, figures show that Dutch cows milked by a Lely Astronaut produce, perform better than cows milked by other systems.

Higher milk yield with milking robots

Since 2015, we have seen that Dutch cows that are milked by a Lely Astronaut produce more milk on average than cows that are milked in other systems. This trend will continue in 2023, the difference in milk production is even greater than ever. And once again, Astronaut users combine this with a better cell count and excellent fertility characteristics. View all the details in the graphs on the right.

 

 

 

 

 

*) The results are based on CRV data from the Netherlands (an independent party that develops information products for cattle farmers to better manage their businesses). Comparison of Lely with an aggregate of other systems. Individual results may differ based on make of other systems and relevant country. No rights can be derived from these results. 

Higher avg. annual milk revenue per cow   Higher average yearly milk production

Higher avg. annual milk revenue per cow   Higher average yearly milk production

Higher average fat production   Higher average lifetime production

Higher average fat production                   Higher average lifetime production

Higher average protein production   Lower somatic cell count

Higher average protein production            Lower somatic cell count

The process

Start-up support: every step of the way

  • Before

    Before the Astronaut comes into operation, we help you prepare your farm for automatic milking. This includes discussions on cow health, feeding, daily routines, Free Cow Traffic, and Partial Mixed Ratio  feeding. We also provide training on robot operation and the associated management system.

    01

  • During

    When the Astronaut is installed, the robot is extensively checked. Together we go through the new routines and group the cows. Once every detail is accurate, milking begins. During the initial milking, we provide intensive support.

    02

  • After

    Once everything is up and running the start-up period ends and we begin with the next step to further optimise your farm according to your preferences. Together we will define which services will support you best.

    03

Media slider Astronaut pictures

 A man in a blue jumpsuit stands in a dairy farm with cows surrounding him. Behind him is a Lely Astronaut automated milking machine
A cow's teats being detected by an automated milking machine for attachment.
Two cows in a dairy farm, one in front and another in a Lely Astronaut, both with yellow ear tags.
A cow's teats being sprayed before milking by a Lely Astronaut, with red and white suction cups positioned below the udder.
a cow's teats are being cleaned with brushes in the Lely Astronaut.

Download the latest brochures

For much more detailed information about our products and services. 

    • Brochure

    Astronaut

    Explore the possibilities of automatic milking and our services.
    • Brochure

    Dairy XL

    Your partner in large dairy automation. Enjoy exploring our solutions for large dairy farming.

Milking

Producing high-quality milk requires time and care. It requires making choices that fit in with you and your goals. Our solutions for automatic milking help you make the right decisions to attain those goals.