NASA Cancels VIPER Moon Rover Program

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NASA has announced the cancellation of its Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission, citing budgetary constraints and delays in the construction of the rover and its lander.

Why it matters: The decision to halt the $450 million project raises questions about NASA’s ability to manage costs and timelines for its lunar exploration programs.

The details:

• VIPER was intended to be the first mission to scout for ice at the Moon’s south pole, but repeated delays pushed the launch date from late 2023 to late 2025.
• The project’s estimated cost increased by $176 million, prompting an internal review that ultimately led to its cancellation.
• NASA has already invested nearly $450 million into building VIPER and projected that completing the testing would require millions more, jeopardizing funding for other planned launches.
• The agency is now seeking partners interested in using the already-assembled rover or its components for future lunar missions.

What they’re saying:

• “This has been a really tough decision, which we make in an uncertain budget environment,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s science mission directorate.
• “Despite what’s happening with VIPER, we are committed to continuing to study the Moon and to look for water and ice in all of our future missions,” Fox stated.

The background: Congress had allocated $433.5 million for VIPER to be completed and landed by the end of 2023, but delays and cost overruns led to the project’s cancellation.

What’s next: NASA’s Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) mission is still scheduled to launch later this year, aiming to drill into the Moon’s surface in search of ice, similar to VIPER’s objectives. The agency also plans to continue exploring the Moon through its Artemis human missions and Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

Full story

NASA has announced the cancellation of its Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission. The decision comes after the project faced significant delays and cost overruns. VIPER was designed to search for water ice on the Moon’s south pole.

The rover, about the size of a golf cart, has already cost NASA $450 million to build. However, the mission has been plagued by setbacks. Supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic slowed progress.

There were also delays with the Griffin lunar lander, built by Astrobotic, which was supposed to carry VIPER to the Moon. These issues pushed the launch date from late 2023 to late 2025. The total cost of the mission was projected to balloon to over $600 million.

Viper mission faces cancellation setbacks

“Decisions like we’ve been discussing today are extremely difficult to make,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s science mission directorate. “We don’t make them lightly.”

Canceling VIPER is expected to save NASA at least $84 million, according to Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration.

The agency plans to repurpose the rover’s components, such as its ice drill and spectrometers, for other missions. NASA is open to proposals from American companies or international partners interested in using the assembled VIPER rover at no additional cost to the government. However, it’s likely the rover will simply be scrapped.

The space agency remains committed to studying the Moon and searching for water ice. The Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) mission, scheduled to launch later this year, aims to drill into the lunar surface to look for ice. NASA also plans to use its upcoming crewed Artemis missions and the Lunar Terrain Vehicle to allow astronauts to explore the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions and collect samples.

The agency will continue its lunar exploration efforts through advanced robotics, commercial providers, and international partnerships.