Astrolab's FLIP rover to host four NASA experiments on Griffin-1 lunar mission

Astrolab says its FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform (FLIP) rover will carry four NASA experiments on Astrobotic’s Griffin-1 lunar lander this year: METAL (a camera/radiometer to locate helium-3 in lunar soil), a Goddard lunar retroreflector, Johnson Space Center’s LDES dust sensor, and a Marshall Space Flight Center lidar demo. The payloads, funded via nonreimbursable Space Act Agreements, will push FLIP toward environmental testing before integration onto Griffin-1 for a Kennedy Space Center Falcon Heavy launch. NASA’s Artemis LTV program updates and timing—aiming for rover deliveries to the Moon roughly 18 months after awards—are shaping how these rovers are designed and scheduled, with revised concepts due May 1 and awards anticipated May 22.