NASA Lacks Means for Transporting Its Lunar Rover to the Moon
NASA has announced a significant change in its lunar exploration plans, with the cancellation of the VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) mission due to escalating costs and delays[1][4]. The fully assembled VIPER robot is currently in storage at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The reasons behind NASA's decision to abandon the private partnership for VIPER are unclear, but it seems that budget overruns and schedule slips made continuation unfeasible, and attempts to secure private funding were unsuccessful[2].
Following the cancellation of VIPER, NASA is repurposing the original lunar lander that was to carry VIPER. This now renamed Griffin Mission 1 is planned as a technology demonstration mission scheduled for late 2025 with a powerful Falcon Heavy rocket[1]. Without VIPER onboard, the Griffin lander will carry a reduced payload and focus mainly on testing its landing engines and precision guidance systems, aiming to prove the lander design for future lunar missions[1].
This adaptive approach allows NASA and its commercial partner Astrobotic to salvage the investment in the Griffin lander and proceed with a flight demonstration without the costly rover payload. The mission also functions as a key milestone to maintain the commercial lunar payload delivery capability in support of the Artemis program[1][4].
The launch date for VIPER has been pushed back from 2023 to 2025 due to schedule and supply chain delays. NASA has declared it will not spend any more money on getting VIPER to the lunar surface[4].
The cancellation of the VIPER mission threatens to disrupt other commercial payload missions to the Moon, as space startups like Intuitive Machines have expressed interest in responding to NASA's request for information[3].
NASA's associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate, Nicky Fox, made a statement regarding the VIPER mission, expressing appreciation for the efforts of those who proposed for the Lunar Volatiles Science Partnership Announcement for Partnership Proposals call[2]. Despite the cancellation, future volatiles science with VIPER is still being considered as part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration efforts.
References:
[1] NASA. (2021, October 15). Griffin Mission 1: A New Lunar Landing Demonstration for NASA. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/feature/griffin-mission-1-a-new-lunar-landing-demonstration-for-nasa
[2] NASA. (2021, July 27). NASA Cancels VIPER Lunar Rover Mission. Retrieved from https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-cancels-viper-lunar-rover-mission
[3] SpaceNews. (2021, July 28). NASA's VIPER lunar rover cancellation sparks outrage from science community. Retrieved from https://spacenews.com/nasas-viper-lunar-rover-cancellation-sparks-outrage-from-science-community/
[4] Ars Technica. (2021, July 27). NASA cancels VIPER lunar rover mission over cost overruns and delays. Retrieved from https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/07/nasa-cancels-viper-lunar-rover-mission-over-cost-overruns-and-delays/
- The cancellation of the VIPER mission, a future endeavor in space-and-astronomy, has raised concerns within the science community, particularly those interested in space-technology.
- The Griffin Mission 1, a fresh demonstration for NASA's lunar landing, is now set for a technology-focused launch in late 2025, replacing the previously planned VIPER mission.
- The flux in NASA's lunar exploration plans, including the scrapping of the VIPER mission, seems to be influenced by issues related to finance and science.
- Some operational changes in NASA's future projects, such as the repurposing of the lunar lander, reflect adaptation strategies in response to escalating costs and delays, as was the case with the VIPER mission.
