Astrobotic's Griffin — a large lunar lander designed to deliver NASA's VIPER ice-prospecting rover to the Moon's south pole, targeting 500 kg+ payload to the lunar surface.
Griffin Lunar Lander
Astrobotic's Griffin — a large lunar lander designed to deliver NASA's VIPER ice-prospecting rover to the Moon's south pole, targeting 500 kg+ payload to the lunar surface.
Description
Griffin is Astrobotic Technology's large lunar lander, designed to deliver NASA's VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) to the lunar south pole to prospecting for water ice in permanently shadowed craters. Griffin is significantly larger than Peregrine (Astrobotic's small lander that failed in January 2024 due to a propellant leak), capable of delivering payloads of 500 kg or more to the lunar surface.
Griffin uses a heritage design concept with four landing legs, hypergolic propulsion (Earth-storable for long cruise phase), and a payload bay accommodating the full VIPER rover (approximately 430 kg). The lander is designed to survive lunar night, enabling VIPER to operate through multiple day-night cycles as it traverses the south polar region in search of water ice deposits that could support future human lunar exploration and fuel production.
Astrobotic, headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was founded in 2007 as a Carnegie Mellon University spin-out originally targeting the Google Lunar X Prize. The company holds multiple NASA CLPS contracts and is positioned as the primary commercial lunar logistics provider for large payloads. Griffin's NASA CLPS contract, originally awarded for VIPER delivery, is valued at approximately $320 million.
Specifications
| Lander type | Large class lunar lander |
|---|---|
| Payload capacity | 500+ kg to lunar surface |
| Primary mission | Deliver NASA VIPER rover to lunar south pole |
| Viper mass | ~430 kg |
| Propulsion | Hypergolic (Earth-storable) |
| NASA contract | ~$320 million (CLPS) |
| HQ | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA (Carnegie Mellon spin-out) |
