NASA’s water-hunting lunar rover, VIPER, will be delivered to the Moon by Blue Origin in 2027, reviving its exploration mission after it was called off last year.
NASA News-release/nasa-selects-blue-origin-to-deliver-viper-rover-to-moons-south-pole/”>contracted Blue Origin to transport VIPER as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services. The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover was originally set to launch in 2023 but faced delays and was initially canceled due to potential disruptions to other payload deliveries.
VIPER is designed to search for water ice in the lunar south pole, crucial for establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
“Our rover will explore the extreme environment of the lunar South Pole, traveling to small, permanently shadowed regions to help inform future landing sites for our astronauts and better understand the Moon’s environment—important insights for sustaining humans over longer missions, as America leads our future in space.”
— Sean Duffy, acting NASA administrator
The rover is equipped with four instruments and headlights to explore permanently shadowed craters. Over its 100-day mission, VIPER will map the location and abundance of water at the lunar south pole.
Initially, VIPER was set to launch with Astrobotic’s Griffin lander under a $322 million task order. The launch date was pushed back to 2024 and then to 2025 due to delays. In July 2024, NASA canceled the mission, citing disruptions to other commercial payload missions.
NASA initially planned to dismantle the robot for parts but faced backlash from the science community. The agency then sought private sector involvement to send VIPER to the Moon, having already invested $450 million in its development.
“NASA is committed to studying and exploring the Moon, including learning more about water on the lunar surface, to help determine how we can harness local resources for future human exploration.”
— Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate
By selecting Blue Origin to transport VIPER, NASA has revived the mission for what it considers the most capable robot ever sent to the lunar surface.
