HOUSTON, — Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is preparing to send its Spaceborne Computer-4 to the Moon in late 2026 to test high-performance computing and artificial intelligence (AI) directly on the lunar surface. The system will travel aboard Astrolab's FLIP (FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform) robotic rover, which is scheduled to reach the lunar south pole as part of Astrobotic's Griffin-1 mission under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
The mission will test whether a compact computer can process images, analyse terrain and support autonomous navigation on the Moon without relying on Earth-based data centres for every calculation. HPE and Astrolab confirmed the integration of the computing module with the rover earlier in 2026.
Onboard Computing for Lunar Exploration
Communication between Earth and the Moon involves a round-trip delay of up to approximately five seconds. This can limit real-time remote control, particularly when a rover needs to respond quickly to obstacles or changes in terrain.
With Spaceborne Computer-4 processing data onboard, the rover could analyse imagery, compare its surroundings with stored maps and identify hazards such as craters without waiting for instructions from Earth. This approach, known as edge computing, allows data to be processed close to where it is collected.
The system will also support mapping, terrain analysis and navigation through AI workloads, including vision inference and LiDAR data processing.
Compact Computer Designed for Space
Spaceborne Computer-4 is a compact, lightweight and fanless computing module housed in an aluminium chassis measuring approximately 249 mm × 132 mm × 26 mm. It includes a low-power 64-bit central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU) and two mirrored 1TB KIOXIA solid-state drives.
The system will draw power from the rover's batteries and solar cells and use the rover's thermal management system, including radiators, for cooling. Its design is intended to support operation in the vacuum of space and withstand the Moon's temperature variations and higher radiation levels compared with low Earth orbit.
The lunar environment presents significant challenges, including radiation exposure and nights lasting approximately 14 Earth days, when surface temperatures can fall to around -200°C. HPE uses a technique known as software hardening, in which the system checks its calculations to help identify errors caused by radiation. This approach prioritises data reliability, potentially at the cost of some processing speed.
AI Experiments and Cybersecurity Tests
Spaceborne Computer-4 will conduct high-performance computing benchmarks on the lunar surface, including High Performance LINPACK (HPL) and High Performance Conjugate Gradients (HPCG). The mission will also run several AI and cybersecurity experiments.
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NASA's FLUID experiment: The federated learning project will coordinate AI models trained using data from Earth, the Moon and the International Space Station (ISS), without requiring all data to be centralised in one location.
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Onboard AI assistant: A specialised large language model (LLM) will help search and interpret technical documents directly on the rover. The system will also support retrieval-augmented generation, which helps AI responses draw on relevant documents.
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Deloitte's Silent Shield: The cybersecurity system will monitor activity for anomalies and potential network intrusions in near-real time.
These experiments will test how AI processing, distributed learning and cybersecurity systems perform beyond Earth.
FLIP Rover and Griffin-1 Mission
Astrolab's FLIP rover, weighing approximately 480 kilograms, is designed to carry multiple payloads and operate across lunar terrain. It features specialised wheels and is designed to function through periods of lunar night.
Astrobotic's Griffin-1 lander will deliver the rover and other payloads to the lunar south polar region under NASA's CLPS program. Voyager Technologies has also been associated with the mission in published descriptions.
On Earth, HPE will support Astrolab's mission control centre in Hawthorne, California, using its private cloud software to manage returning data and computing workloads.
Importance for Future Lunar Missions
Spaceborne Computer-4 will be the first system in HPE's Spaceborne Computer series to operate on a planetary surface. Earlier versions were deployed aboard the International Space Station.
The mission will assess whether advanced computing systems can reliably perform demanding workloads in the lunar environment while reducing dependence on continuous communication with Earth. Its results could help guide the development of computing infrastructure for future lunar bases, robotic exploration and commercial space operations.
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