Astrobotic Technology has announced a revised launch schedule for its Griffin-1 lunar lander mission. The company stated on October 24 that the launch is now targeted for no earlier than July 2026. This mission will transport the FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform (FLIP) rover from Venturi Astrolab, alongside several other smaller payloads, to the Moon.
Previously, Astrobotic aimed to launch Griffin-1 before the close of 2025 using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. However, the progress of preparations suggested that the original timeline was unlikely to be met. The company did not specify a particular reason for the postponement. The update mentioned that the lander is still undergoing assembly, and prelaunch environmental testing is yet to commence, although engine testing is currently in progress. "With engine qualification testing underway and critical systems coming online, Griffin-1 is advancing toward the moon," the company stated.
FLIP, the largest payload on the lander, is also undergoing testing. Astrolab announced on social media on October 22 that FLIP had initiated a two-week thermal vacuum test campaign to assess its performance in conditions simulating the lunar environment. Besides FLIP, Griffin-1 will also carry CubeRover-1, a smaller rover developed by Astrobotic. In June, the company announced that CubeRover-1 had completed acceptance testing. The update also mentioned that software testing is ongoing in collaboration with Mission Control, a Canadian company.
Other payloads include a plaque from Nippon Travel Agency, a disc containing a library of documents from Nanofiche, and a MoonBox containing small artifacts. Initially, Griffin-1 was slated to carry NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) as its primary payload. NASA had awarded Astrobotic a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) task order for the mission, valued at $322 million. However, in July 2024, NASA canceled the VIPER mission, citing cost overruns and potential delays to the planned November 2025 launch. NASA decided to retain the CLPS task order with Astrobotic to demonstrate the capabilities of the lander.
After evaluating alternatives for flying VIPER, which had already completed prelaunch testing, NASA announced on September 19 that it had awarded a new CLPS task order to Blue Origin to transport VIPER on the second Blue Moon Mark 1 lander. The $190 million award is conditional upon a successful landing of the first Blue Moon Mark 1 mission, expected to launch in the coming months. Despite the delay in the Griffin-1 mission, it is still anticipated to launch before VIPER’s new mission, with NASA projecting the Blue Origin lander launch in late 2027. Astrobotic stated that it did not bid for the new CLPS task order due to the tight schedule and "our commitments to existing customers." NASA later clarified that Blue Origin was the sole bidder for the VIPER mission.