Lunar Lander Clears JPL Vibration Tests

Voyager Technologies' Griffin-1 lunar lander passed a series of environmental tests at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California this week. The trials confirmed the spacecraft can withstand the physical stresses of launch and lunar landing.

JPL announced that the lander completed the full test sequence, which included exposure to extreme temperatures and intense vibration. Engineers also simulated the acoustic environment the vehicle will face during ascent. An image dated August 31 shows the spacecraft inside JPL's 25-foot-wide space simulator.

The Griffin-1 vehicle is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. It is scheduled to launch later this year. The lander will carry more than 455 kilograms of cargo to a site near the lunar south pole.

The payload includes scientific experiments and new technologies for surface operations. Among the items is the FLIP rover from Astrolab. That rover will carry a supercomputer to the moon's surface.

Charles Whetsel, manager of JPL's Exploration Systems Development Office, said the laboratory has supported robotic explorers since the Ranger program in the mid-1960s. He stated that JPL is proud to support this new phase of commercial lunar exploration.

The mission is designed to support NASA's goal of establishing a crewed moon base near the south pole. NASA aims to build that facility over the next five years.