Griffin-1 Lander Clears JPL Tests

Voyager Technologies completed the final ground tests for its Griffin-1 lunar lander at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The spacecraft cleared a series of rigorous environmental trials designed to mimic the harsh conditions of a lunar journey.

The testing schedule included exposure to extreme temperatures and intense vibration. Engineers also subjected the lander to loud acoustic environments similar to those encountered during launch and landing. JPL confirmed the Griffin-1 passed the full series of checks.

The program has a long history at the facility. Charles Whetsel, manager of the Exploration Systems Development Office at JPL, noted that the lab has tested robotic explorers since the Ranger program in the mid-1960s. Whetsel stated, “We're proud to provide our expertise and facilities to support this new phase of commercial lunar exploration.”

A photo from August 31 shows the lander inside JPL’s 25-foot-wide space simulator. The facility uses this equipment to prepare spacecraft for the vacuum of space and the physical stresses of flight.

Griffin-1 will fly under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. The mission is scheduled for later this year. The lander will transport more than 1,100 pounds of cargo to a site near the lunar south pole.

The payload includes science experiments and the FLIP rover from Astrolab. The rover will carry a supercomputer to explore the terrain. NASA aims to build a crewed moon base in that region over the next five years.