Astrolab’s upcoming rover will run the first AI models on the moon

What happened

Large language models are set to go lunar. A computer capable of running AI software is one of the payloads aboard Astrolab’s FLIP lunar rover, which is slated to head to Earth’s celestial companion as early as November 2026.

The 480-kilogram FLIP rover, short for “FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform,” is the first in a series of vehicles NASA’s contracted from Astrolab, including future buggies that will move Artemis astronauts across the moon’s surface. Fitted with deformable wheels engineered for the rugged terrain and designed to survive at least 150 hours of the frigid lunar night, FLIP will carry 20 scientific payloads including a lidar 3D mapper and a sensor to measure concentrations of the isotope helium-3 in lunar regolith. The rover will also carry a high-performance computer made by HPE that will be the first to run LLMs on the moon’s surface.