NASA's VIPER Lunar Rover Faces Cancellation Amidst Surging Costs and Supply Chain Woes
October 30, 2024Astrobotic is developing a larger lander, Griffin, to deliver VIPER, but modifications are necessary due to the failure of the Peregrine lander, pushing the mission's timeline to at least September 2025.
The Peregrine lander, which was part of Astrobotic's initial CLPS mission, failed to reach the Moon in January 2024 due to a propulsion issue.
On July 17, 2024, NASA announced its decision to terminate the VIPER mission, despite the rover being fully constructed and ready for deployment.
NASA's VIPER lunar rover has completed all pre-launch tests successfully, but its future is now in jeopardy due to potential cost overruns.
The mission's projected costs have surged from an initial estimate of $250 million to approximately $609.6 million, primarily due to supply chain disruptions during the COVID pandemic.
Despite the cancellation of the VIPER mission, NASA will still incur significant costs, including $323 million owed to Astrobotic, bringing the total expenditure on the project close to $1 billion.
Congressional input is crucial for determining the future of the VIPER project, with ongoing discussions among Senate and House committees about its status and possible repurposing.
NASA is currently reviewing proposals from around 50 organizations interested in taking over the VIPER project, having narrowed it down to 11 formal submissions.
Prior to the cancellation announcement on July 17, 2024, VIPER had successfully passed various tests, including vibration, acoustic, and thermal vacuum assessments, with no major issues reported.
VIPER was designed to explore the lunar South Pole for 100 days, searching for water ice using advanced scientific instruments and a 1-meter drill.
Astrobotic was contracted to deliver VIPER to the Moon under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which aims to outsource lunar landing operations.
Summary based on 1 source
Get a daily email with more Space News stories
Source
• Oct 30, 2024
VIPER Passes All Its Tests, But Future Still Uncertain