Griffin Mission One

Griffin Mission One

Griffin-1 undergoing environmental testing at JPL
Names	CLPS TO 20A Moon Base II Griffin-1
Mission type	Moon landing
Operator	Astrobotic Technology
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Griffin
Start of mission
Launch date	November 2026 (planned)
Rocket	Falcon Heavy
Launch site	KSC, LC-39A
End of mission
Decay date
Moon lander
Landing date	TBA
Griffin Mission One mission patch Astrobotic Technology ←  Peregrine M1 Griffin M2  → Commercial Lunar Payload Services ←  IM-2 (Athena) IM-3 (Trinity)  →

Griffin Mission One (also referred to as Griffin-1) is a lunar lander mission developed by Astrobotic Technology as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The mission aims to deliver a suite of scientific, technological, and cultural payloads to the Lunar south pole region, specifically targeting the Nobile Crater region near Mons Mouton. Scheduled for launch no earlier than November 2026, Griffin-1 is a component of NASA's Artemis program, supporting lunar science and exploration for future crewed missions. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

Overview

Griffin Mission One is designed to conduct experiments and technology demonstrations focused on lunar resource prospecting, volatile characterization, and surface operations in the rugged terrain of the Lunar south pole. The mission will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The Griffin lander, a medium-class lunar lander, is equipped with advanced autonomous navigation and hazard avoidance systems, enabling precise landings in challenging environments. ^{[7] [8]}

Payloads

Griffin-1 carries a diverse set of payload from NASA, ESA, and other partners:

• Astrolab FLIP rover : a 500 kg rover capable of carrying 30 kg of additional payloads, a precursor to their FLEX rover. ^{[9] [10]}
• Astrobotic CubeRover : a 2U-sized mobile rover designed for mobility demonstrations, capable of traversing several kilometers and recharging via solar panels. ^[11]
• LandCam-X: an optical navigation camera developed by OIP Space Instruments in Belgium for ESA's Terrae Novae program. Its goal is to capture high-resolution imagery of the Moon's surface during the lander's orbit and descent. These images will be later combined with Griffin's telemetry to improve vision-based navigation software. ^{[12] [13] [14] [15] [16]}
• Nanofiche GLPH (Galactic Library Preserve Humanity): a durable nanoscale archive etched on nickel, containing cultural and intellectual artifacts, including literature, art, historical documents (e.g., Apollo Guidance Computer archives, Miracle on 34th Street: The Musical ), the reimagined Library of Alexandria, and Lunar Codex archives. It is designed to endure lunar conditions for millions of years. ^[17]

History

In 2020, the mission was selected to carry NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), ^[18] but following VIPER's cancellation in July 2024, ^[19] it was reconfigured with alternative payloads while retaining its CLPS task order. ^{[20] [21] [22]} In September 2022, ESA selected the mission to carry the LandCam-X experimental navigation camera. ^{[13] [23]}

On 26 May 2026, NASA officially designated the mission as Moon Base II. ^{[24] [25]} On 15 June 2026, Astrobotic unveiled the lander, calling it "the first infrastructure-class lander going to the surface of the Moon". ^{[26] [27]} In September 2026, NASA expected Griffin-1 to be the only CLPS mission launching in 2026, as both Blue Moon Pathfinder Mission 1 and IM-3 were delayed to 2027. ^[28] On 13 October 2026, the lander concluded its environmental tests at JPL. ^[29]

Gallery

• 
  Artist's rendering of Griffin deploying VIPER
• 
  Mockup analog of Griffin for testing VIPER deployment
• 
  Artist's rendering of Griffin-1 on the Moon
• 
  Griffin-1 undergoing environmental testing at JPL
• 
  Griffin-1 undergoing environmental testing at JPL
• 
  Griffin-1 undergoing environmental testing at JPL
• 
  Griffin-1 undergoing environmental testing at JPL
• 
  Griffin-1 undergoing environmental testing at JPL

References

1. "CLPS Flight: Astrobotic's Griffin Mission One – NASA" . Retrieved 27 September 2025.
2. "Falcon Heavy | Griffin Mission One". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
3. "Griffin Lander". Astrobotic. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
4. Mitchell, Audra (1 October 2024). "Griffin Mission One Ground Testing with NASA's Deep Space Network a Success". Astrobotic. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
5. Chapla, Alivia (6 February 2025). "Moonbound & Mission Proud: The Griffin-1 Patch is Here!". Astrobotic. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
6. "Griffin Mission One, targeting the lunar South Pole NET November 2026". X.com. Voyager Technologies.
7. "Griffin Lander". Astrobotic. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
8. "Falcon Heavy | Griffin Mission One". nextspaceflight.com. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
9. Foust, Jeff (5 February 2025). "Astrolab to fly its FLIP lunar rover on Astrobotic's Griffin-1 lander". SpaceNews. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
10. "Astrolab's FLIP rover joins Astrobotic's Griffin-1 to the Moon – Astrolab". www.astrolab.space. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
11. Mitchell, Audra (8 April 2024). "Spacefarer & CubeRover Joint Lunar Rover Demonstration on Griffin-1". Astrobotic. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
12. "LandCam-X: a lunar landing camera". www.esa.int. Retrieved 8 October 2026.
13. SpaceRef (24 September 2022). "ESA Lunar Landing Camera To Fly To The Moon". SpaceNews. Retrieved 8 October 2026.
14. Patrascu, Daniel (17 June 2026). "This Is the Lunar Lander That Will Deliver the Largest Commercial Payload Ever Sent to the Moon". autoevolution. Retrieved 8 October 2026.
15. "Pittsburgh's Moonshot: Astrobotic Unveils Griffin-1 Lander Ahead of Historic NASA 'Moon Base II' Mission – SatNews". satnews.com. Retrieved 8 October 2026.
16. Terrae Novae is Europe's programme of human and robotic exploration
17. Chapla, Alivia (27 March 2025). "Astrobotic + Nanofiche Preserving Humanity's Legacy on Griffin-1". Astrobotic. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
18. "Astrobotic wins NASA contract to deliver VIPER lunar rover". SpaceNews. 11 June 2020. Archived from the original on 17 October 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
19. "NASA Ends VIPER Project, Continues Moon Exploration – NASA" . Retrieved 8 January 2025.
20. "Griffin: The lunar lander helping shape NASA's future on the Moon". 15 September 2026.
21. Foust, Jeff (5 February 2025). "Astrolab to fly its FLIP lunar rover on Astrobotic's Griffin-1 lander". SpaceNews. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
22. "Astrolab Announces NASA Payloads for Upcoming Mission to the Moon – Astrolab". www.astrolab.space. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
23. alivia (22 September 2022). "Lunar Logistics Services and Astrobotic Awarded to Fly ESA Payload to the Moon". Astrobotic. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
24. [e-mail] (28 May 2026). "A Moon base, Moon buggies, hopping rovers... NASA just revealed a stack of ambitious plans to send astronauts and spacecraft to the Moon". BBC Sky at Night Magazine. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
25. "NASA Provides Update on Moon Base Rovers, Landers, Missions - NASA" . Retrieved 15 October 2026.
26. year, Josh Dinner The Astrobotic lander will carry an Astrolab rover to the moon later this (15 June 2026). "Astrobotic unveils Griffin-1 lunar lander for NASA Moon Base mission". Space. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
27. Foust, Jeff (16 June 2026). "Astrobotic unveils Griffin-1 lunar lander". SpaceNews. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
28. "NASA expects one lunar launch this year, Moon Base manager says". Aerospace America. 15 September 2026. Retrieved 15 October 2026.
29. "NASA JPL Testing Readies Voyager Technologies Lander for Moon Mission". 13 October 2026. Retrieved 14 October 2026.

External links

• Griffin Lander – Astrobotic Technology