PITTSBURGH — Astrobotic today officially pulled back the curtain on its massive Griffin Mission One (Griffin-1) lunar lander at its Pittsburgh headquarters. Recently designated by NASA as Moon Base II, the spacecraft was showcased during an exclusive event attended by NASA representatives, government officials, and key space industry partners.
Griffin-1 is currently completing its final integration activities and is on track for a late 2026 launch on SpaceX Falcon Heavy from LC-39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Developed under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, the lander is designed to serve as an infrastructure-class transport vehicle. It will deliver the largest commercial payload ever sent to the Moon, proving its capability to haul vital Moon Base cargo such as heavy rovers, scientific instruments, and solar power plants.
A Milestone for Commercial Space Flight
The unveiling took place inside Astrobotic’s state-of-the-art clean room within its spacecraft integration facility. Industry leaders from NASA, Voyager, Astrolab, and the Keystone Space Collaborative gathered to celebrate the milestone.
Matt Magaña, John Thornton, Carlos García-Galán, Kelly Randell, Justine Kasznica, Ryan Stephan, and Dr.Jimyse Brown gather for a photo op in front of Griffin-1 (Moon Base II).
“When Astrobotic was founded nearly two decades ago, the idea that a team in Pittsburgh could build and fly one of the world’s largest commercial lunar landers felt incredibly ambitious…Today, Griffin stands behind us as proof of what is possible… This spacecraft represents the transportation and logistics systems that will enable humanity’s long-term future beyond Earth.”
– John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic
Several high-profile payloads have already been successfully integrated onto the lander, including:
- BEACON: A CubeRover-based joint mission with Mission Control Space Services.
- LandCam-X: An ESA (European Space Agency) payload built to drastically improve landing precision and safety.
- FLIP Rover: Astrolab’s massive lunar rover, the mission’s largest payload, which will be integrated at the launch site in Florida to demonstrate autonomous surface logistics.
- LunEx-1: A private payload by The Launch Pad; included in MoonBox
Next Stop: California for Environmental Testing
The journey to the Moon gets rigorous starting next week. Griffin-1 is scheduled to be transported to California to undergo an extensive environmental test campaign. Engineers will subject the fully integrated spacecraft to a battery of qualification and acceptance tests to ensure it can survive the extreme vibrations of launch, the vacuum of space, and harsh lunar environments.
Following its testing in California, Griffin-1 will make its final pre-launch journey to Cape Canaveral, Florida, later this year.
Once launched, the spacecraft will be operated entirely from Astrobotic’s Mission Control Center in Pittsburgh, guiding the heavy-lifter from transit all the way to its historic touchdown.