Astrobotic

We fired a really cool rocket engine - and broke some records while we were at it. 🔥This Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine produced more than 4,000 pounds of thrust, and included a 300-second continuous burn, which is believed to have set the record for longest duration hot firing of an #RDRE engine to date.

Two solar panels integrated to #Griffin-1, just one to go! ☀️⚡Griffin’s solar setup is built around how sunlight behaves in space and on the Moon. During transit, we use sun-pointing technology, meaning the lander will track sunlight and strategically point itself to optimally charge for stable flight operations. 🌑On the lunar surface at the south pole, the sun stays low and circles around the same side of the vehicle over the course of a lunar day (~2 weeks). For our mission window, it tracks across a single quadrant, exactly where our solar panels are positioned.

Astrobot Elise Kowalski examines #CubeRover-1 as it's integrated to our Griffin-1 lunar lander. Read more about what makes this tiny, mighty rover tick, and about what it's going to accomplish as it heads to the Moon later this year! 🚗🌙 ⛓in bio

This clever little rover is now officially hitched aboard #Griffin-1! 🌙🚗 Once on the lunar surface, this joint mission called "BEACON" will explore with our CubeRover hardware, navigate with @missioncontrolspaceservices Spacefarer™ platform, and even flex its AI muscles with Spacefarer AI™. BEACON will enable operators in Canada and US to perceive and navigate the lunar surface, demonstrate onboard machine learning capabilities, and even gather data for rovers operating in shadowed regions

Reintroducing LandCam-X, now integrated with#Griffin-1! Developed by Belgian company OIP Sensor Systems, this landing camera will capture the Moon during descent and turn imagery into safer, smarter landings. The @europeanspaceagency (ESA) selected @lunar_logistics , a space start-up based in France, to send LandCam-X to the lunar surface aboard Astrobotic's Griffin-1.

Watch as Astrobotic’s mechanical integration & test engineer, Tim Morris, meticulously measures propulsion parts and later, navigation sensors, on our #Griffin-1 lunar lander. Every precise measurement helps feed our flight control system, ensuring a precision-guided, mission-ready lander.

Fun Fact: Integration of our lunar CubeRover sometimes involved sewing pieces of wool felt together with kevlar strings to protect critical components. 🧵🪡Never assume your arts & crafts hobbies can't be put to use in service of space exploration! Pics of CubeRover being integrated with our Griffin-1 lander are on the way! #Griffin1

Griffin’s integration momentum isn’t slowing down! 🚀 We’re heading into a back-to-back stretch of payload integrations. Each addition brings new capability online, moves the vehicle closer to full mission readiness, and fuels a growing sense of excitement across the team. Stay in orbit with us for the latest updates. #griffin1

Flexible treads, unstoppable mobility, 10 years at the lunar South Pole. Astrobotic today announced its award of a contract from @thalesaleniaspace to develop a lunar wheel assembly solution for the Multi-Purpose Habitation (MPH), designed to allow astronauts to live on the lunar surface to conduct science experiments and test initial habitability. #lunar #moon #lunarhabitat

With $17.5M in newly-secured U.S. Space Force, Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), and NASA awards, our Xodiac and Xogdor rockets got a boost to continue advancing the next generation of reusable rocket systems.🚀 Next stage: Fly your payload on Tuesday, analyze data on Wednesday, fly again on Thursday. . #SpaceTech #RocketScience #FlightTest #RapidIteration #NextGenAerospace #Xodiac #Xogdor #Trogdor #Astrobotic #ReusableRockets #RocketTesting #SpaceIndustry #AerospaceNews

The Astrobotic team recently completed a series of successful hot-fire tests using a flight-representative replica of Griffin-1’s full propulsion system.🔥Throughout the test campaign, the main engines supplied by @frontieraerospace fired 229 pulses. These tests validated engine performance and delivered essential data using firing profiles representative of actual flight conditions. Griffin’s propulsion system uses a hypergolic bipropellant architecture with two fuel tanks and two oxidizer tanks, all pressure-fed by three helium pressurant tanks. During key mission phases, both the main engines and the attitude control system (ACS) thrusters will fire in pulsed modes to achieve maneuvers like the powered descent to the lunar surface. These critical tests were carried out at Exquadrum, Inc.'s FORGE testing facility, located at Southern California Logistics Airport. Watching Griffin’s engines ignite is an exciting step forward in bringing this infrastructure-class lander online for the nation. . #Astrobotic #GriffinLander #Griffin1 #LunarLander #MoonMission #SpaceTech #SpaceEngineering #Aerospace #AerospaceEngineering #RocketEngines #PropulsionSystem #HotFireTest #EngineTest #Hypergolic #Bipropellant #PressureFed #PulseFiring #ACSthrusters #RocketTesting #TestCampaign #SpaceHardware #AerospaceTesting #FlightHardware #FlightRepresentative #DeepSpaceEngineering

Human creativity, archived on the Moon. The ASTROGLPH: A Moon Archive Exhibit showcases the artworks and messages carried beyond Earth — a lasting testament to imagination, innovation, and our shared cultural legacy. Experience it live at BitBasel | Art Week Miami 2025. Tickets available now — link in bio. #BitBasel #ArtWeekMiami2025 #ASTROGLPH #MoonArchive #ArtOnTheMoon #SpaceArt #BitBasel2025 #ArtAndTechnology #DigitalArt #FutureOfArt #MiamiArtWeek #ContemporaryArt #InnovationInArt #SagamoreSouthBeach #CulturalLegacy #NanoFiche #Astrobotic #HumanCreativity #FingerprintsOfHumanity #MiamiArtScene