METAL multispectral camera (Interlune / NASA Ames) on Griffin-1

From the records here, checked 2026-10-28. Planned dates often slip.

• Launch. Voyager gives no earlier than November 2026 and NASA gives late 2026. Neither is a launch day, and the two have not been reconciled.
• Landing. This is the Griffin lander's first flight, to the lunar south pole. NASA names the Nobile Crater area and Voyager says near Mons Mouton; whether those are the same area or a site change is not established.
• The helium-3 question. Since NASA ended VIPER in 2024, this flight's resource-related cargo is the METAL camera from NASA Ames and Interlune. It is intended to image lunar soil to map titanium content and soil maturity, which Interlune and NASA use as proxies to estimate helium-3. Any helium-3 estimate would be derived from those proxies.
• What would change here. Both records stand at Targeted for helium-3. A launch or a landing would not change that. Each stays at Targeted until reported evidence supports inferring or measuring helium-3 under the site's evidence steps. How the steps work
• Still open. Interlune says METAL flies on Astrolab's FLIP rover. NASA's Griffin-1 section lists METAL without naming FLIP, so the mounting is company-stated.

Kind

Instrument

Carried by

Griffin Mission One (Griffin-1, NASA Moon Base II)

Mission type

Prospecting

Target

MoonNobile Crater region, lunar South Pole (Griffin-1 landing site per NASA)South polar region, no point: Lunar south pole missions

Launch

Planned 2026 H2 (target)

Announcement date not recorded. Record checked 2026-10-28.

Launch vehicle

SpaceX Falcon Heavy (via host Griffin-1)

Phase

ManifestedManifested: the 2025-08-05 joint Interlune/Astrolab release names the payload for Astrolab's FLIP rover (Astrolab operates the host rover). Rechecked 2026-10-28: NASA's 2026-10-20 rover update says FLIP flies on Griffin Mission One, scheduled to launch in late 2026, and NASA's Moon Base Phases page (updated 2026-10-08) still lists METAL among Griffin-1 payloads. Not launched as of 2026-10-28.

Outcome

Not applicable

Why it is included

Stated resource objective

Recorded change: the plan before → the plan after, oldest first.

1. 2025-10-24: 2025 (end of year, per Interlune staff quoted by GeekWire) → 2026-07 (NET, Astrobotic)Schedule slip [5]
2. 2026-06-15: 2026-07 (NET) → 2026-H2 (late 2026)Schedule slip [4]

Only changes recorded here are listed. The oldest date shown may not be the first plan ever announced, and a date with no recorded change may still have moved. A plan is not a launch.

All recorded schedule changes

Next recorded dates are plans, not results.

Launch: Planned 2026 H2 (target)Announcement date not recorded. Record checked 2026-10-28.

Operators, payload owners, carriers and customers are recorded separately.

1. 2025-08-05

   Interlune payload agreement with Astrolab (FLIP rover)

   AgreementInterluneWith METAL multispectral camera (Interlune / NASA Ames) on Griffin-1, Venturi Astrolab

   Interlune and Astrolab announced that an Interlune multispectral camera for estimating helium-3 will fly on Astrolab's FLIP rover on an upcoming lunar mission, which Interlune described as its first lunar mission.

   Company statements only. No independent or government source is recorded here.

   Sources (1)

   1. [1]Interlune to Fly Multispectral Camera on Astrolab FLIP Rover to Measure Helium-3 on the Moon
      InterluneCompany statementPublished 2025-08-05Accessed 2026-09-25Supports: summary

      today announced that an Interlune payload will fly on Astrolab's FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform (FLIP) rover on its upcoming mission to the Moon

      Quote matched the source text when accessed.

No evidence gap is recorded on this record. An empty list is not a finding that research is complete.

changes to this record's facts, newest first

One web address counts as one publication.

1. [1]Interlune to Fly Multispectral Camera on Astrolab FLIP Rover to Measure Helium-3 on the Moon
   InterluneCompany statementPublished 2025-08-05Accessed 2026-10-28Supports: objective, participants, resources, phase

   The Interlune payload is a multispectral camera built, tested, and developed in partnership with NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, whose images will be used to estimate helium-3 quantities and concentration in Moon dirt, or regolith.

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
2. [2]Moon Base Phases (living page; last updated 2026-10-08)
   NASAGovernment recordAccessed 2026-10-28Supports: name, participants, objective, carrier mission

   the Moon Exploration for Titanium with Active Lighting (METAL) investigation, developed by NASA's Ames Research Center in partnership with Interlune. METAL will study the abundance of helium-3 in the lunar regolith

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
3. [3]Moon Base Phases (living page; last updated 2026-10-08)
   NASAGovernment recordAccessed 2026-10-28Supports: launch date, phase

   The lander is being prepared for transport to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where it will undergo environmental testing ahead of its planned launch to the Moon in late 2026.

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
4. [4]Griffin-1 Lunar Lander Unveiled Ahead of Environmental Testing
   AstroboticCompany statementPublished 2026-06-15Accessed 2026-10-28Supports: launch date, record history

   The spacecraft is completing final integration activities and is scheduled to launch in late 2026.

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
5. [5]Griffin-1 Mission Update
   AstroboticCompany statementPublished 2025-10-24Accessed 2026-10-28Supports: record history

   The team is targeting the next viable launch window, which opens in July 2026.

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
6. [6]Interlune announces deals for moon mining equipment - and for selling lunar helium-3
   GeekWirePressPublished 2025-05-07Accessed 2026-10-28Supports: record history, name

   Our first mission, Crescent Moon, is coming up at the end of this year, 2025

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
7. [7]Moon Base: Voyager Griffin-1 (event page; last updated 2026-10-14)
   NASAGovernment recordAccessed 2026-10-28Supports: target site, carrier mission

   The Astrobotic Griffin-1 mission will deliver more than 1,100 pounds of cargo to the Nobile Crater at the lunar South Pole, including the Astrolab FLIP rover

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
8. [8]Interlune raises $5M for initiatives that go beyond mining the moon
   GeekWirePressPublished 2026-09-15Accessed 2026-10-28Supports: phase, launch date

   The company is planning to send its first payload - a mineralogical mapping instrument - to the moon later this year aboard Voyager Technologies' Griffin-1 lander

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
9. [9]Moon Base is the Founding HQ for the Space Economy — Crescent Moon section
   InterluneCompany statementPublished 2026-09-15Accessed 2026-10-28Supports: summary, open evidence gaps

   funded its flight to the Moon on Astrolab’s FLIP rover

   Quote matched the source text when accessed.
10. [10]NASA Provides Progress Update on Moon Base Rovers
    NASAGovernment recordPublished 2026-10-20Accessed 2026-10-28Supports: launch date, carrier mission

    Prior to CLV-1 arriving to the Moon, Astrolab will send its first robotic rover, FLIP (FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform), to the lunar surface as a payload on Voyager Technologies’ Griffin Mission One scheduled to launch in late 2026.

    Quote matched the source text when accessed.
11. [11]Voyager Technologies’ Griffin-1 Completes Environmental Testing at NASA JPL
    NASA ScienceGovernment recordPublished 2026-10-13Accessed 2026-10-28Supports: launch vehicle

    Griffin-1 is expected to launch in late 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

    Quote matched the source text when accessed.

SpaceMiningData, “METAL multispectral camera (Interlune / NASA Ames) on Griffin-1”, dataset version a00fa2c68a45, built 2026-11-11, https://spaceminingdata.com/missions/interlune-metal-camera.html. Record checked 2026-10-28.