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NASA Cancelled Moon Rover Mission

  • 18 Jul 2024

On July 18th, 2024, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced the cancellation of its planned moon rover mission, citing cost overruns and launch delays, in a major setback for the agency's lunar exploration program.

Key Points

  • The Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) had aimed to explore the lunar south pole in search of ice and other resources, paving the way for planned crewed missions by American astronauts under the Artemis program
  • The rover was originally planned to be launched in 2023 aboard a lander provided by Astrobotic Technology.
  • In 2022, NASA requested a launch delay to late 2024 to provide more time for preflight testing of the Griffin lander vehicle, supplied by the Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic under the new Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, a public-private venture.
  • The launch date was pushed to September 2025, while the cost of the mission was projected to rise to 609.6 million dollars.