NASA resurrects its VIPER moon rover for a 2027 mission with Blue Origin

NASA is outwardly giving its ice-scouting moon rover mission one other strive. The house company has announced that the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) venture — which was called off last year after a collection of delays and mounting prices — might catch a experience to the moon with Blue Origin in 2027 below the Industrial Lunar Payload Companies (CLPS) program. Blue Origin should first plan and display how the supply on the lunar floor would work, and if it is all to NASA’s liking, VIPER might be ferried by the corporate’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander.

Blue Origin hasn’t but tried a moon touchdown, however the first alternative for its Blue Moon Mark 1 lander is anticipated to launch later this 12 months as a part of one other CLPS supply. That mission may also assist to tell NASA’s resolution about VIPER’s rideshare, which might use a second Mark 1 lander that the company says is already in manufacturing. If VIPER does finally make it to the moon, it’s going to be deployed within the excessive setting of the lunar South Pole to seek for water ice and different assets that would help future missions. 

“This supply might present us the place ice is probably to be discovered and best to entry, as a future useful resource for people,” mentioned Joel Kearns, Deputy Affiliate Administrator for Exploration with NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in a press release. “And by learning these sources of lunar water, we additionally acquire helpful perception into the distribution and origin of volatiles throughout the photo voltaic system, serving to us higher perceive the processes which have formed our house setting and the way our internal photo voltaic system has advanced.”