NASA has decided to cancel the VIPER project, but it will continue to look for resources on the moon. The decision was made after a comprehensive internal review, which revealed cost increases, delays to the launch date, and the risks of future cost growth as the reasons to stand down on the mission.
The rover was initially planned to launch in late 2023. However, NASA requested a launch delay to late 2024 in order to conduct preflight testing of the Astrobotic lander. The launch was then delayed to September 2025, and the Astrobotic launch was also delayed to a similar time.
If the VIPER project continues, it would result in an increased cost that could lead to its cancellation or disruption to other CLPS missions. NASA has notified Congress of its intent to cancel the project.
Despite the VIPER project’s cancellation, NASA is still committed to studying and exploring the moon. The agency has plans to disassemble and reuse VIPER’s instruments and components for future moon missions. NASA will also search for ice at the lunar South Pole using the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1), which is scheduled to land at the South Pole during the fourth quarter of 2024. The landing will demonstrate the Griffin lander and its engines, and it will also carry out a resource utilization demonstration using a drill and mass spectrometer to measure the volatile content of subsurface materials.
In addition, NASA plans to use copies of three of VIPER’s four instruments for future moon landings on separate flights. The agency will also use the instruments to conduct mobile observations of volatiles across the south polar region, as well as provide access for astronauts to the Moon’s permanently shadowed regions for dedicated sample return campaigns.