Astrobotic unveils Griffin-1 lunar lander for NASA Moon Base II mission

Astrobotic Technology showcased its fully assembled Griffin‑1 lunar lander at the company’s Pittsburgh headquarters. The medium‑class lander has a payload capacity of about 625‑650 kg and will carry the largest commercial cargo ever sent to the Moon as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Moon Base II task order.

The mission manifest includes international payloads such as ESA’s LandCam‑X camera, the BEACON demonstration from Mission Control Space Services and the Canadian Space Agency, and the FLIP (FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform) rover built by Astrolab to test autonomous surface logistics. Griffin‑1 will undergo environmental testing in California before final integration at Cape Canaveral, where it will be launched in late 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

The lander is intended to demonstrate heavy‑lift logistics for future lunar infrastructure, supporting NASA’s Artemis‑driven goal of establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon.