NASA scraps its VIPER project that aimed to look for ice on the moon

NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover or VIPER was going to look for water ice at the moon’s south pole. The agency was hoping that it could help answer important questions, such as where water is on the moon and how much there is for future spacefarers to use. But now NASA has decided to cancel the project and discontinue the rover’s development, citing “cost increases, delays to the launch date and the risks of future cost growth.”

The agency has already spent $450 million developing VIPER, according to The New York Times — it’s even done assembling the rover and installing its scientific instruments. That said, it still has to subject the rover to a series of tests to ensure that it can endure a rocket launch and the harsh conditions of outer space. Joel Kearns, NASA’s Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, told the publication that the cancelation would save the agency at least $84 million, because it would no longer have to pay for those tests and for the rover’s operations.

Kearns added that the agency was also worried about additional expenses if the rover’s launch gets delayed. NASA first announced the VIPER mission back in 2019, with plans to launch it in late 2022. However, due to supply chain issues during the height of the COVID pandemic, among other problems, its launch was pushed back to late 2024. More problems forced NASA to move its launch again to September 2025 at the earliest, so additional delays aren’t outside the realm of possibility.

NASA has several projects lined up that will help it verify the presence of water ice on the moon. They just won’t be focused on that goal and will most likely need more time to achieve what NASA was hoping VIPER would. The agency is planning to disassemble the rover and use its instruments and components for future missions. It will, however, consider proposals from American and international companies that may want to use the rover, as long as it doesn’t cost the US government more money.

While the project itself has already been canceled, the flight that was supposed to ferry VIPER to the moon will still push through. NASA chose Astrobotic to launch the rover and to develop a lander called Griffin to safely get VIPER to its destination. The mission will fly with a non-functional item simulating the VIPER’s mass. As Kearns explains, a successful demonstration of the Griffin lander would still be valuable for future missions, whether or not it’s carrying a real rover.