VIPER (rover)
VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) is a lunar rover developed by NASA (Ames Research Center), and currently planned to be delivered to the surface of the Moon in November 2024. The rover will be tasked with prospecting for lunar resources in permanently shadowed areas in the lunar south pole region, especially by mapping the distribution and concentration of water ice. The mission builds on a previous NASA rover concept called Resource Prospector, which was cancelled in 2018.
Artist's impression of VIPER operating in darkness. | |
| Names | Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Exploration, resource prospecting |
| Operator | NASA |
| Website | https://www.nasa.gov/viper |
| Mission duration | 100 days (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Robotic lunar rover |
| Manufacturer | NASA Ames Research Center |
| Dry mass | 430 kg (950 lb) |
| Dimensions | 2.45 m (8 ft 0 in) in height, 1.53 m (5 ft 0 in) in length and width |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | November 2024 (planned) |
| Rocket | Falcon Heavy |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Moon rover | |
| Landing date | November 2024 |
| Landing site | Mons Mouton, South pole region |
| Instruments | |
| Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS) Near InfraRed Volatiles Spectrometer System (NIRVSS) The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT) Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) | |
On 11 June 2020, NASA awarded Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US$199.5 million to launch VIPER to the lunar south pole. VIPER will be carried aboard Astrobotic's Griffin lander as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Astrobotic is responsible for end-to-end services for delivery of VIPER, including integration with its Griffin lander, launch from Earth, and landing on the Moon.