Astrolab's FLIP rover will carry the first supercomputer and AI to the moon, launching later this year to the lunar south pole. It aims to test high-performance computing and autonomous navigation in extreme conditions.
01Summary
- 01Astrolab will launch its uncrewed FLIP rover to the moon's south pole later this year as part of Griffin Mission 1.
- 02The rover carries Hewlett Packard Enterprise's Spaceborne Computer-4, the first high-performance computer with AI on the lunar surface.
- 03The computer has a 64-bit CPU, a GPU, and solid state drives, and will be powered by batteries and solar cells.
- 04A machine learning algorithm from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, previously used on Mars, will help navigate without GPS by matching terrain to stored maps.
- 05The mission will also carry Astrobotic's CubeRover, LandCam-X, and a nano-archive of human history.
02Why it matters
This mission will demonstrate whether advanced computing and AI can survive and operate on the moon, paving the way for future crewed missions and lunar habitation under the Artemis programme.
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