NASA Discontinues Moon Rover Mission Over High Cost And Launch Delays

NASA announced that it has discontinued its VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) project. The US space agency cited delays to the launch date, cost overruns, and the risks of future cost growth as reasons to discontinue the crucial mission. The VIPER mission was planned to land near the moon's south pole, scouting for lunar ice deposits.

Originally, the rover was scheduled to launch in late 2023. NASA later asked for a launch date extension to late 2024. However, additional schedule and supply chain delays pushed VIPER’s launch to September 2025. According to NASA, continuation of this project would result in an increased cost that threatens cancellation or disruption of other Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) missions. NASA has reportedly spent around $450 million so far on the project.

NASA also intends to disassemble and reuse the instruments and components of VIPER for upcoming Moon missions. In a statement released on July 17, the space agency stated that it will look for alternate ways to complete many of VIPER's objectives and confirm the presence of ice at the lunar South Pole. “The agency has an array of missions planned to look for ice and other resources on the Moon over the next five years," said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for Nasa’s Science Mission Directorate, in the statement.