Voyager Technologies’ Griffin 1 Lunar Lander Completes NASA JPL Environmental Testing
Voyager Technologies’ Griffin 1 lunar module completed nearly three months of environmental testing at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California in late September 2026. The testing evaluated whether the spacecraft could withstand the harsh conditions of launch, its journey to the Moon and its lunar landing mission.
Griffin 1 completed its final test inside JPL’s historic 25-foot Space Simulator, a thermal vacuum chamber listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The facility has supported historic missions including the Ranger, Surveyor, Mariner and Voyager programs.
Griffin 1 Endures Extreme Thermal Vacuum Testing
On August 31, 2026, engineers and technicians used a crane to position Griffin 1 inside the towering chamber. The lunar lander alternated between temperatures as high as 167 degrees Fahrenheit (75 degrees Celsius) and as low as -148 degrees Fahrenheit (-100 degrees Celsius).
The thermal vacuum test simulated the extreme temperatures Griffin 1 will experience during its mission. The yellow-striped box mounted on top of the lander represented the payload that will later be attached to the spacecraft: Astrolab’s FLIP, or FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform, spacecraft.
Key Tests Completed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Spacecraft Transport and Preparation
Figure A: Engineers and technicians move Griffin 1 through the 25-foot corridor toward the Space Simulator on August 31. The facility’s hallways are lined with photographs of historic spacecraft tested there since the 1960s.
Electromagnetic Interference Testing
Figure B: Griffin 1 enters an anechoic chamber on July 29 for electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility testing. The tests ensure that signals from the spacecraft’s electronic components do not interfere with one another.
The chamber walls are covered with long foam spikes designed to absorb sound waves and electromagnetic waves.
Mass Properties and Stability Testing
Figure C: On July 20, Griffin 1 spun rapidly on a specialized table while engineers measured its mass properties. The test helped identify unexpected wobbles and provided critical information about how the spacecraft will move through space and operate during ground activities.
Acoustic Testing to Simulate a Rocket Launch
Figure D: Microphones surrounded Griffin 1 on August 12 during an acoustic test. A giant horn powered by compressed gaseous nitrogen blasted the spacecraft with sound levels reaching 153 decibels inside a sealed acoustic chamber, simulating the intense roar of a rocket launch.
Vibration Testing
Griffin 1 also underwent vibration testing. Hundreds of sensors monitored the spacecraft as a shaker table rattled it in three directions with increasingly intense forces, simulating the vibrations it will experience while leaving Earth aboard a rocket.
Griffin 1 Heads to Pittsburgh for Final Assembly
After completing its environmental testing at JPL, Griffin 1 was shipped across the country to Voyager Lunar Systems’ facility in Pittsburgh for final assembly.
As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and its Moon base program, Griffin 1 is scheduled to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at the end of 2026. The Infrastructure-class lander is expected to carry more than 1,100 pounds (455 kilograms) of cargo, including 10 payloads from six countries, to Noville Crater near the Moon’s south pole.
The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA.
Source: science.nasa.gov