Astrobotic
Astrobotic Technology is a Pittsburgh-based lunar logistics company providing delivery services to the Moon through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
- Founded
- 2007
- Headquarters
- Pittsburgh, United States
- Stage
- Acquired
- Ownership
- Subsidiary of Voyager Technologies
Quick Facts
About Astrobotic
Astrobotic Technology is a Pittsburgh-based lunar logistics company providing delivery services to the Moon through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The company's Griffin Mission One (Griffin-1) is targeting a late 2026 launch to Nobile Crater at the lunar South Pole. NASA modified the CLPS contract after discontinuing the VIPER project due to funding constraints; Griffin will demonstrate large lander capability flying similar mass to VIPER to the South Pole region as a technology demonstration flight.
Griffin-1 payloads include Venturi Astrolab's FLIP rover demonstrating core components for the FLEX rover, Astrobotic's CubeRover-1 lunar rover (completed acceptance testing and deemed flight-ready), Carnegie Mellon's Iris Lunar Dream Capsule, and payloads from ESA and NASA. Astrobotic's earlier Peregrine Mission One launched January 8, 2024, aboard Vulcan Centaur's maiden flight but experienced propellant leak preventing lunar landing. Astrobotic was competitively selected by ESA to study delivery of payload packages on Peregrine lunar landers. Voyager Technologies completed its acquisition of Astrobotic on 13 July 2026; the business now operates as Voyager Lunar Systems under John Thornton.
Products and product lines
| Product | Line | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Peregrine lunar lander | Lunar lander | Flew January 8, 2024, on United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur maiden flight; a propellant leak discovered roughly seven hours after launch prevented a Moon landing and the spacecraft made a controlled reentry over the South Pacific on January 18, 2024. |
| Griffin Mission One (Griffin-1) lander | Lunar lander | Completed final integration at Astrobotic's Pittsburgh headquarters and began environmental testing in June 2026, targeting a late-2026 launch to the lunar south pole with Astrolab's FLIP rover, a CubeRover-based BEACON payload, and ESA's LandCam-X aboard. |
| CubeRover | Lunar rover platform | Astrobotic's small modular lunar rover line; a CubeRover-based mission called BEACON, flown jointly with Mission Control Space Services, is manifested on Griffin-1. |
| LunaGrid / LunaGrid-Lite | Lunar power infrastructure | A continuous, scalable lunar power system for the south pole; the LunaGrid-Lite demonstration (500 meters of cable, 1 kW transmission via a CubeRover, developed with NASA's Glenn Research Center) reached Critical Design Review in 2025. |
| Peregrine-2 and Peregrine-3 (CLPS Moon Base task orders) | Lunar lander missions | Two NASA CLPS task orders awarded June 30, 2026, to deliver payloads including LETS, SCALPSS, and a Laser Retroreflector Array near the Gruithuisen Domes, targeting 2028 landings; Voyager Technologies was separately awarded a roughly $298 million NASA CLPS CS-8 contract for Peregrine-2 in July 2026. |
| Reusable rocket propulsion technology | Launch propulsion R&D | Awarded $17.5 million across three NASA/DoD contracts in December 2025 to advance reusable-rocket technologies. |
Timeline
- 2024 Peregrine Mission One launches on ULA's Vulcan Centaur maiden flight; a propellant leak reported about seven hours later prevents a Moon-landing attempt. [source]
- 2024 Peregrine makes a controlled reentry over the South Pacific on January 18, ending the mission without a lunar landing. [source]
- 2025 The LunaGrid-Lite demonstration mission, developed with NASA Glenn Research Center, reaches Critical Design Review. [source]
- 2025 Astrobotic is awarded $17.5 million across three NASA and Department of Defense contracts to advance reusable-rocket technology. [source]
- 2026 Voyager Technologies announces an agreement to acquire Astrobotic, with CEO John Thornton saying the deal provides "the scale, resources, and long-term commitment our mission calls for." [source]
- 2026 Griffin-1 completes final integration at Astrobotic's Pittsburgh headquarters and enters environmental testing, targeting a late-2026 launch. [source]
- 2026 Astrobotic is awarded two NASA CLPS Moon Base task orders to fly Peregrine-2 and Peregrine-3 to the Gruithuisen Domes region, targeting 2028 landings. [source]
- 2026 Voyager completes its acquisition of Astrobotic (closed July 13); Astrobotic becomes "Voyager Lunar Systems," still led by John Thornton, and Voyager is awarded a roughly $298 million NASA CLPS CS-8 contract for Peregrine-2. [source]
John Thornton (CEO)
Team
Signals
- Verification
- Verified 2026-09-10
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Frequently asked about Astrobotic
Quick answers to the questions readers most often search for.
- When was Astrobotic founded?
- Astrobotic was founded in 2007 in United States.
- Where is Astrobotic headquartered?
- Astrobotic is headquartered in Pittsburgh, United States.
- What does Astrobotic do?
- Astrobotic Technology is a Pittsburgh-based lunar logistics company providing delivery services to the Moon through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The company's Griffin Mission One (Griffin-1) is targeting a late 2026 launch to Nobile Crater at the lunar South Pole. NASA modified the CLPS cont…
- Was Astrobotic acquired?
- Astrobotic has been acquired by Voyager Technologies.
- What sector does Astrobotic operate in?
- Astrobotic works in lunar and Spacecraft.
Sources
The structured fields on this page (founding year, location, sector, status, listing) and the profile text are drawn from the sources below. How profiles are drafted and checked is described in our methodology.
- Official website (astrobotic.com)
- Company LinkedIn page
- Wikidata / Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-09-05
- Ars Technica: Astrobotic says there has been an anomaly with its lunar lander (Jan 8, 2024) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- BBC News: Peregrine lunar lander reentry coverage (Jan 2024) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Astrobotic: LunaGrid / LunaGrid-Lite overview and Critical Design Review · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Astrobotic: Astrobotic Secures $17.5M to Advance Reusable Rockets (Dec 19, 2025) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Astrobotic: Astrobotic to Join Voyager Technologies, Accelerating America's Moon Base (June 2, 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Astrobotic: Griffin-1 Lunar Lander Unveiled Ahead of Environmental Testing (June 15, 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Astrobotic: Astrobotic Awarded 2 NASA Contracts for CLPS Moon Base Missions (June 30, 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
- Astrobotic: Voyager awarded $298M NASA contract under completed Astrobotic acquisition (July 13, 2026) · retrieved 2026-09-10
Data Accuracy Notice: Information about Astrobotic is compiled from publicly available sources including company websites, press releases, regulatory filings, and industry reports. Data is reviewed periodically but may not reflect the most recent developments.