Jaret Matthews

CEO / founder of @astrolab_space
| Formerly SpaceX & JPL

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

We're bringing AI to the Moon with @HPE

[SPACE.com @SPACEdotcom]

And yes, it has AI. https://t.co/DzlBb3iOYv

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

Good chat

[Jack Kuhr @JackKuhr]

Full interview with Astrolab's CEO @endeffector at Off World to discuss the company's lunar rovers, big NASA contract, and surface infrastructure plans.

"You have to solve the last mile because if you're gonna set up a sustained base, it can't be anywhere near the landing pad."

"So there's an implied need for mobility to move that equipment to where you're gonna deposit it."

"And typically, you wanna build your Moon base at a high elevation spot, kind of a peak of a mountain where you have good view of the Earth and the Sun."

"That's exactly where you don't wanna land."

We covered:
00:16 - Space Camp to Astrolab
01:04 - FLIP launching this year
01:53 - Largest US rover by mass on the Moon
02:36 - Designing for the lunar night
06:05 - Rovers as "ground satellites"
06:52 - SpaceX's first commercial lunar contract
07:48 - Starship's lunar cargo math
08:27 - Why NASA is prioritizing rovers
10:35 - Starship vs. Blue Moon

With @itsmoislam and @Astrolab_Space

[Astrolab @Astrolab_Space]

NASA leadership stopped by Astrolab to check out FLIP before it heads to Cape Canaveral for launch later this year.

NASA Program Manager for the Moon Base Carlos García-Galán and Chief Architect for the Moon Base Nujoud Merancy toured our clean room with Astrolab CEO Jaret Matthews and gave our rover a send-off.

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

@counihan_daniel @AstroPeggy to start @Astrolab_Space

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

@pronounced_kyle Currently on a Delta flight... fingers crossed that this even goes through.

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

@CJHandmer I know of another rover going to the Moon this year...

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

@OmarKunbargi @Asymmlabs Congrats!

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

@pronounced_kyle What is this - a flag for ants? It needs to be at least three times bigger!

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

@AmX_ZaxTr I can confirm that this is indeed the case.

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

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

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

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]

The chamber has been opened. As of this week, FLIP rover TVAC testing is complete.

One step closer to the lunar surface.

[Astrolab @Astrolab_Space]

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.

[Astrolab @Astrolab_Space]

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.

[Astrolab @Astrolab_Space]

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.

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

@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.

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

"...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]

https://t.co/puLXpatHvd

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

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.

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

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

[Jaret Matthews @endeffector]

So badass.

[Astrolab @Astrolab_Space]

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.