Tag: Astrobotic
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Astrobotic showcases Griffin-1 lander ahead of environmental testing in California
Technicians work on Astrobotic’s Griffin-1 lander inside a cleanroom at the company’s facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Monday, June 15, 2026. Image: Will Robinson-Smith/Spaceflight Now Astrobotic showed off its nearly completed lunar lander, named Griffin-1, as the vehicle prepares to head to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California for environmental testing later this month. The…
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Astrobotic delays Griffin-1 Moon mission to NET July 2026
Astrobotic staff examine a propulsion tank sitting in front of Griffin-1’s structure. Image: Astrobotic Astrobotic is now eyeing the summer of 2026 for the launch of its second mission with the goal of landing on the surface of the Moon. On Friday, the company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, said it was targeting a launch window…
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Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander ends mission in fiery reentry
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander captured by a camera mounted onboard the lander on its second day in space. Image: Astrobotic The first U.S. lander bound for the Moon since 1972 burned up in Earth’s atmosphere on Thursday. The unfortunate ending for Astrobotic’s spacecraft was deemed the most responsible choice given its hopes of reaching the…
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Peregrine lander suffers propulsion ‘anomaly,’ Moon landing seemingly unlikely
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander in the clean room at Astrotech in Titusville, Florida. The spacecraft was the main payload onboard the first launch of ULA’s Vulcan rocket. Image: ULA In situation seemly pulled from a science fiction movie, a robotic mission to the Moon swung from the brink of failure to having renewed hope before…
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ULA marks success with the inaugural mission of its Vulcan rocket launching a Moon-bound robotic lander
The inaugural Vulcan rocket leaps off the pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The booster was powered by the first pair of BE-4 engines to fly in space. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now With the company’s future riding on it, United Launch Alliance’s first Vulcan rocket successfully put a commercial robotic…
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NASA discusses Moon-bound science as ULA’s Vulcan rocket gets go ahead for Jan. 8 launch
The payload for the Certification-1 (Cert-1) flight test on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket is encapsulated inside its payload fairing in preparation for launch. The mission will launch the first Astrobotic Peregrine commercial lunar lander, as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, into a highly elliptical orbit more than 220,000…
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ULA stacks Vulcan rocket for the first time ahead of Jan. 8 debut launch
ULA’s fully integrated Vulcan rocket with the addition of the payload fairings added on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. On board is the main payload, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander. Image: ULA United Launch Alliance achieved a critical milestone towards the debut of its next launch vehicle. On Wednesday, the company integrated the payload fairing on top…
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ULA’s first mission with its Vulcan rocket slides to January launch window
ULA’s Vulcan rocket sits at the pad at Space Launch Complex 41 (SLC-41) ahead of the start of a wet dress rehearsal tanking test on Friday, Dec. 8, 2023. Image: ULA Update: Added additional context from social media posts from Tory Bruno confirming that the launch will move to January. The debut of United Launch…
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Three robotic missions target Moon landings over one week in January
Intuitive Machines engineers loading the IM-1 mission Nova-C lunar lander into its custom container in Houston, TX. Image: Intuitive Machines In a blend of interesting circumstances and happenstance, two private companies and Japan’s space agency are all poised to land on the Moon in the back half of January 2024. The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency…
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Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander arrives in Florida ahead of Christmas Eve Moon-bound launch
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander in the clean room at Astrotech in Titusville, Florida. The spacecraft will be the main payload onboard the first launch of ULA’s Vulcan rocket. Image: ULA The first payload teed up for NASA’s industry-led missions to the Moon has arrived in Florida. Astrobotic announced on Halloween that its Peregrine lunar lander…