NASA Cancels VIPER Lunar Rover Project

NASA has announced its decision to cease the development of its VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) project.

The decision comes after a comprehensive internal review and is primarily driven by escalating costs, launch delays, and the risks associated with potential future cost increases.

The VIPER mission, initially slated for a late 2023 launch, faced multiple delays. In 2022, NASA requested a postponement to late 2024 to allow additional preflight testing of the Astrobotic lander. However, further schedule and supply chain issues have now pushed the rover's readiness date to September 2025. Concurrently, the CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) launch aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin lander has also experienced delays, aligning its new launch date with VIPER's.

Continuing with the VIPER project would significantly raise costs, threatening other CLPS missions. Consequently, NASA has informed Congress of its intention to halt the mission.

“We are committed to studying and exploring the Moon for the benefit of humanity through the CLPS program. The agency has an array of missions planned to look for ice and other resources on the Moon over the next five years. Our path forward will make maximum use of the technology and work that went into VIPER, while preserving critical funds to support our robust lunar portfolio.” - Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate

NASA plans to repurpose VIPER's instruments and components for future lunar missions. Prior to disassembly, the agency will entertain expressions of interest from U.S. industry and international partners for the use of the existing VIPER rover system at no cost to the government. Interested parties should contact [email protected] after 10 a.m. EDT on Thursday, July 18.

The project is set for an orderly closeout through spring 2025.

Despite VIPER’s cancellation, Astrobotic will continue its Griffin Mission One under its NASA contract, aiming for a launch no earlier than fall 2025. This mission will still provide a flight demonstration of the Griffin lander and its engines, albeit without the VIPER rover.

NASA remains committed to achieving VIPER's scientific objectives through alternative means. A forthcoming CLPS delivery, the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1), scheduled to land at the lunar South Pole in the fourth quarter of 2024, will search for water ice and conduct a resource utilization demonstration. This mission will use a drill and mass spectrometer to measure the volatile content of subsurface materials.

Future instruments, as part of NASA’s crewed missions, such as the Lunar Terrain Vehicle, will facilitate mobile observations of volatiles across the lunar South Pole. These missions will also provide access for astronauts to the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions for sample return campaigns. Additionally, NASA plans to use copies of three of VIPER's four instruments for future Moon landings on separate flights.

The VIPER rover was designed to search for ice and other potential resources on the Moon, supporting NASA's broader goal of lunar exploration and unraveling the mysteries of our solar system. Through initiatives like Artemis and CLPS, NASA is venturing further into lunar territory than ever before, leveraging advanced robotics, highly trained astronauts, U.S. commercial providers, and international partnerships.