Moon Base II

Program Context and Designation

CLPS, initiated in 2018, uses fixed-price contracts under which NASA purchases end-to-end lunar delivery services — including launch, lander, and surface operations — from commercial providers. The combined maximum contract value across all CLPS task orders is $2.6 billion through November 2028. Moon Base II is one task order within this framework, with Astrobotic serving as the commercial provider.

Within NASA's Moon Base initiative, Moon Base II sits alongside Moon Base I (Blue Origin Mark I Endurance lander targeting Shackleton Connecting Ridge) and Moon Base III (Intuitive Machines Nova-C, carrying the Lunar Vertex magnetic investigation). Together these missions constitute Phase One of the Moon Base concept, focused on robotic landers, large-payload delivery, and mobility demonstrations that precede more extensive power, habitation, and logistics deployments envisioned in Phase Two.

Griffin-1 is Astrobotic's second CLPS flight. The company's first mission, Peregrine Mission 1, failed to reach the Moon after its January 2024 launch. Griffin is the larger cargo lander that was originally selected to carry NASA's VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover); following NASA's cancellation of VIPER in July 2024, the task order was restructured and Astrolab's FLIP rover was adopted as the new primary payload in February 2025.

Landing Site

Griffin-1 is targeted to land in the Nobile Crater region near Mons Mouton at the lunar south pole. Astrobotic's mission manifest lists the objective as "Nobile Region 2026." The south pole is of high strategic and scientific interest because permanently shadowed craters in the region harbor water ice within the regolith, while nearby sunlit ridges can provide extended solar power availability — conditions favorable for long-term resource utilization and a future sustained human presence.

Surface operations are expected to last approximately one lunar day, roughly ten days, after which extreme cold and the loss of solar power are expected to end nominal operations for solar-powered systems.

Griffin Lander

The Griffin lander is described as an infrastructure-class commercial lunar lander, larger than earlier CLPS scout vehicles such as the Peregrine. It measures approximately 2 m (about 6 ft) in height and 4.5 m (about 15 ft) across, with a bus structure manufactured from aluminum alloy. Four landing legs absorb touchdown shock and stabilize the vehicle on the surface.

The main deck uses a regular bolt-pattern isogrid layout for flexible mounting of multiple payloads. Dedicated adapter hardware and optional egress ramps support large payloads such as rovers. Alternative mounting locations on radiator panels and below-deck can accommodate payloads with special geometries.

Power is generated by triple-junction solar cells and stored in space-grade lithium-ion batteries, with a dedicated payload power bus providing approximately 1 W per kilogram of payload as a baseline. Payload data interfaces include wired RS-422 or SpaceWire connections and an optional WLAN modem for wireless links to deployed rovers. The communications system employs a high-power transponder with low, medium, and high-gain antennas to relay data between payloads and Earth.

For descent, Griffin uses Doppler LiDAR and Astrobotic's terrain relative navigation (TRN) system for precision approach, achieving a landing accuracy of approximately 100 m. An optional scanning LiDAR provides real-time hazard detection down to features of roughly 15 cm. Lunar surface delivery is priced at approximately $1.2 million per kilogram.

Moon Base Phase One and Future Phases

NASA's Moon Base concept envisions a phased development of sustained presence at the lunar south pole. Phase One, which includes Moon Base II, focuses on robotic landers and mobility demonstrations. Griffin-1's specific role within Phase One is to provide a large-lander capability demonstration under CLPS, deliver early science and technology payloads for resource prospecting, dust environment characterization, navigation, and logistics, and demonstrate commercial lunar landing and mobility capabilities.

Phase Two, not part of Griffin-1's scope, envisions expansion to larger power systems including solar and initial nuclear surface power (fission or radioisotope), upgraded Lunar Terrain Vehicle Gen 2 rovers and industry logistics vehicles, possible MoonFall drones, and early habitation modules. Phase Two aims to deliver up to 60 tons of cargo via as many as 24 landings using multiple classes of cargo landers.

NASA has also discussed a CLPS flight rate goal of up to approximately ten missions per year beginning around 2027, indicating Moon Base II is part of a substantially expanding commercial lunar delivery cadence.