CAPE CANAVERAL, FL – NASA unexpectedly announced its bringing the previously cancelled VIPER Lunar Rover mission back to life and selected Blue Origin to launch the robot to the Moon’s South Pole in search of lunar ice and in support of the agency’s Artemis human landing campaign.
On Sept. 19, NASA reversed course on the VIPER cancellation and announced the agency awarded Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, a new CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) task order valued at up to $190 Million to deliver the rover to the Moon’s South Pole region using a second Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1) lander, which is already in production by Blue Origin
The goal of VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) is to search for volatile resources, such as ice, on the lunar surface and collect science data to support future exploration at the Moon and Mars.
NASA says that Blue Origin is targeting to delivery VIPER to the lunar surface in late 2027 using the Blue Moon lander
To the surprise and disappointment of the team and many in the science community NASA previously canceled the VIPER project in July 2024 due to budgetary issues and delays in the then planned landing using an Astrobotic lander
At that time VIPER was fully assembled and required only $84 Million of final testing – which it was fully expected to pass with flying colors
Since then “NASA has explored alternative approaches to achieve the agency’s goals of mapping potential off-planet resources, like water.”
“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,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington.
The solar powered rover is planned for a 100-day mission – that requires a landing by late 2027.
Blue Origin is responsible for the complete landing mission architecture and will conduct design, analysis, and testing of a large lunar lander capable of safely delivering the lunar volatiles science rover to the Moon. Blue Origin also will handle end-to-end payload integration, planning and support, and post-landing payload deployment activities. NASA will conduct rover operations and science planning.
“The search for lunar volatiles plays a key role in NASA’s exploration of the Moon, with important implications for both science and human missions under Artemis,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters.
“This delivery could show us where ice is most likely to be found and easiest to access, as a future resource for humans. And by studying these sources of lunar water, we also gain valuable insight into the distribution and origin of volatiles across the solar system, helping us better understand the processes that have shaped our space environment and how our inner solar system has evolved.”
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