Overview
- The nearly three‑month test campaign at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory concluded in late September and was reported Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2026, confirming Griffin‑1 met qualification goals for launch and space operations.
- Engineers ran mass‑properties spin checks, EMI/EMC tests in an anechoic chamber, multi‑axis vibration and acoustic trials up to 153 decibels, and thermal vacuum cycles from about −100°C to 75°C in JPL’s 25‑Foot Space Simulator.
- After testing, the roughly 2,789‑pound (1,265‑kg) lander returned to Voyager Lunar Systems’ Pittsburgh facility for final assembly and will begin launch‑readiness work before transfer to Cape Canaveral.
- Griffin‑1 is an infrastructure‑class vehicle contracted under NASA’s CLPS Moon Base Program to carry 455 kg of cargo — 10 payloads from six countries including Astrolab’s FLIP rover — to Nobile Crater near the lunar South Pole.
- Using JPL’s long‑used test facilities reduces technical uncertainty for the mission and advances NASA’s plan to build sustained lunar logistics, though the launch remains contingent on remaining integration and prelaunch checks before the expected late‑2026 Falcon Heavy flight.