Astrolab
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aerospace |
| Founded | January 2020 |
| Founder | Jaret B. Matthews |
| Headquarters | Hawthorne, California , United States |
Area served | Planetary exploration missions |
Key people | Jaret B. Matthews (Founder), Rius Billing (Chief Engineer) |
| Products | FLEX rover, FLIP rover |
Astrolab, Inc., formally known as Venturi Astrolab Inc., is a privately held aerospace firm located in Hawthorne, California. The company specializes in the engineering of robotic mobility solutions intended for planetary exploration missions. Established by aerospace engineer Jaret B. Matthews in January 2020, Astrolab concentrates on developing commercial surface vehicles for extraterrestrial environments such as the Moon and Mars. Its primary product, the FLEX (Flexible Logistics and Exploration) rover, enables adaptable surface operations and supports infrastructure construction. In 2024, Astrolab secured a contract with NASA to produce the Lunar Terrain Vehicle and aims to deploy its inaugural rover to the Moon in 2025 aboard the Astrobotic Griffin 1 mission.
History
Astrolab was co-founded by Jaret Matthews, who previously worked at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and SpaceX. The company’s mission is to develop reusable and modular mobility platforms for both human and robotic space missions. Under the leadership of Chief Engineer Rius Billing, the team comprises experienced professionals from NASA, SpaceX, and Tesla. After relocating to its Hawthorne facility in 2021—situated near SpaceX—Astrolab initiated ground-based testing of its rover technologies. The company publicly announced its presence in March 2022 and subsequently won a contract in 2023 to deliver the first commercial FLEX rover mission, scheduled for lunar arrival by December 2026 via a SpaceX Starship launch. In April 2024, NASA awarded Astrolab a contract within the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) program to enhance lunar mobility capabilities supporting Artemis expeditions.
FLEX rover
The FLEX rover developed by Astrolab is a multifunctional surface mobility platform with medium payload capacity designed for exploration, logistics support, construction activities, and scientific research. It incorporates a modular Universal Payload Interface (UPI) that allows autonomous transport of loads up to 1,500 kg over challenging terrain. Engineered for extended durability, FLEX is expected to operate for up to ten years with an operational range reaching 5,000 km. Astrolab envisions deploying multiple units of this rover to facilitate sustainable human activities on both the Moon and Mars.
FLIP rover
In response to NASA's cancellation of the VIPER mission on Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, Astrolab introduced FLIP (FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform) as a means to access lunar surfaces. This mission, planned for 2025, will serve as a technology demonstration validating FLIP’s systems while gathering essential data on lunar dust mitigation and surface operational procedures. Key components such as avionics, autonomous navigation algorithms, and power management subsystems will be tested during this flight. Additionally, in August 2025, Interlune revealed that FLIP will carry a multispectral camera aimed at detecting Helium-3 deposits on the Moon.
NASA collaboration and Artemis missions
In 2024, NASA selected Astrolab alongside Intuitive Machines and Lunar Outpost to develop lunar mobility solutions under the Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) program. Astrolab’s FLEX rover is designated as a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) designed to assist Artemis astronauts with surface exploration tasks and infrastructure development starting with Artemis IV scheduled for 2028.