Jaret Matthews @endeffector

On a @Delta flight and they are playing a piano concerto of Sweet Child O' Mine. I feel personally attacked.

Relieved to see FLIP make it through thermal vacuum testing and grateful to all those at @Astrolab_Space who worked around the clock to prepare and execute this test. This is the same chamber we used to qualify the Dragon docking system when I was at @SpaceX . This 15ft diameter chamber, located El Segundo's Smoky Hollow, has played an important role for many historically important spacecraft and systems over the decades, but I believe this is the first Moon rover to pass through there. Thanks to @ElementTesting for supporting.

Astrolab @Astrolab_Space

5 days ago

The chamber has been opened. As of this week, FLIP rover TVAC testing is complete. One step closer to the lunar surface.

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With FLIP rover vibration testing completed successfully last month, let's dive into the results. The sounds you are hearing in the background of this video were designed from live sounds captured during the week and a half of vibe testing. During these tests the rover was subjected to the highest structural loads and most stressful vibration environment it will ever experience. Launch will be less stressful than what it has already survived. Health checks during and after testing show that FLIP came out the other side in pristine condition. Before tests like this, the engineering team makes approximations about what the hardware can handle. Now that they have accelerometer data, the team is correlating the structural model with the data from the test. This will allow the engineers to conduct the final round of structural analysis to certify the rover for launch. One more step towards the launch pad and lunar surface.

FLIP Rover Vibration Testing: Complete  Full analysis of the data to come, but all initial indications from the test are positive. Another major hurdle on the path to the launch cleared.

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Mass properties testing. Center of gravity and moments of inertia confirmed at @elementdefense. The kind of data that doesn’t make headlines, until it does. One more milestone closer to launch.

@pmarca "...SpaceX can’t build all of it alone. The people who build the lunar Alcoa, the lunar Caterpillar, and the lunar Union Pacific will be among the titans of the twenty-first century." This is what @Astrolab_Space is all about.

"...SpaceX can’t build all of it alone. The people who build the lunar Alcoa, the lunar Caterpillar, and the lunar Union Pacific will be among the titans of the twenty-first century." This is what @Astrolab_Space is all about.

Marc Andreessen 🇺🇸 @pmarca

2 months ago

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That was a special day in the office. For me it was the culmination of six years of work on the Dragon docking system - which is a controlled collision with the $100B ISS. And I got to be on console in the chair next to my wife, the mission manager for Demo-1. Congratulations to the many thousands of SpaceX employees today who have experienced similarly harrowing moments over the years and got to see it all pay off today.

@SciGuySpace We're excited to get building @Astrolab_Space and honored to support @NASAArtemis

So badass.

Astrolab @Astrolab_Space

3 months ago

October 2024: FLIP rover announced to the world June 2025: Earth-based pathfinder complete April 2026: FLIP flight vehicle fully integrated and first drive complete In 18 months, we brought FLIP from idea to drivable space-ready hardware. Now let's bring it to the Moon.

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A year and a half ago our FLIP rover was just an idea for a tech demo. This past week, it deployed its solar panel for the first time. The tight timeline for FLIP has put our team to the test but also proved we can build and deliver space-ready hardware.

Say cheese!📸 Our FLIP rover is ready to snap pics on its lunar trip! The rover has two solar panel mast-mounted cameras provided by Canadensys, providing 360 views. This picture of our team was taken by one of those cameras after the first vehicle-controlled solar array deploy.

Congratulations to @NASA and the Artemis II crew on the successful lunar flyby today and for setting a new distance record for humanity! And thank you to NASA for the invitation to watch the launch up close last week with my family. We even made a cameo in the highlight reel below! It was incredible to witness history being made as we return to the Moon, this time to stay. Wishing the crew a safe return to Earth in the coming days.

NASA @NASA

4 months ago

We are going! With Artemis II's launch, we've taken another step toward a long-term presence on the Moon. Here's a recap of the historic mission so far – and a preview of what's to come. Follow along as four astronauts continue their journey around the Moon and back:

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@OwenSparks Don't forget the Moon rovers

@Cmdr_Hadfield @Astrolab_Space Thank you Chris, your insights and experience have been invaluable.

Incredible leadership from @NASAAdmin : it's time to build a Moon base and @Astrolab_Space is ready to help!

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman @NASAAdmin

5 months ago

To build a sustained human presence on the Moon, we are building @NASAMoonBase, prioritizing surface operations and scalable infrastructure.  - Frequent robotic landings and mobility testing including MoonFall drones  - Starting in 2027 nearly monthly cadence of equipment and

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Thanks to @NASA for the invite to their Ignition event at NASA Headquarters today sharing how they are accelerating America’s return to the surface of the Moon. We’re proud that our FLEX rover is positioned to support the next era of lunar exploration, from the establishment of a Moon base to constructing infrastructure to power the lunar economy.

Our FLEX rover is designed to fly on and work alongside a variety of lunar landers, such as Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1. FLEX is the last mile lunar delivery solution, ready to work on cargo operations, handling payloads brought by landers to the lunar surface.

@alexisohanian That email is hugely inspiring. You can feel the excitement in every sentence (and an undertone of anxiety). That's a young you diving into the abyss. Congrats on choosing to leap.

@aaronburnett Need a big rover to move all that mass the last mile...