NASA Seeks New Options to Launch VIPER Moon Rover After Private Sector Partnership Cancellation

NASA's Lunar Rover VIPER Is Fully Assembled but Stranded on Earth NASA's VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) is ready and waiting, but it remains grounded at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The rover, designed to search for water ice around the Moon's south pole, is now in storage after the space agency canceled the mission last year. Despite these setbacks, NASA recently made another move, announcing that it would explore alternative options to deliver its lunar rover to the Moon. Originally scheduled to launch in 2023, VIPER's mission faced multiple delays, first moving to 2024 and then to 2025, primarily due to scheduling and supply chain issues. In July 2024, the final blow came when NASA decided to cancel the mission entirely, citing concerns about disrupting other commercial payload missions to the Moon. Initially, the space agency planned to disassemble VIPER and repurpose its components for future missions. This decision, however, ignited significant backlash from the scientific community, which mourned the potential loss of such a pivotal lunar explorer. In response, NASA quickly issued a solicitation to the private sector, inviting companies to propose plans to salvage the mission and send VIPER to the Moon. Several space startups, including Intuitive Machines, took up the challenge, working diligently to draft proposals. Despite these efforts, NASA unexpectedly canceled the solicitation this week, leaving the fate of VIPER once again uncertain. The agency has not provided a clear explanation for this sudden change of heart. VIPER's development has already cost NASA $450 million, and the agency has stated it will not allocate additional funds to secure a launch. This constraint significantly narrows the options for getting the rover to the Moon. "We appreciate the efforts of those who proposed to the Lunar Volatiles Science Partnership Announcement for Partnership Proposals call," said Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. "We look forward to accomplishing future volatiles science with VIPER as we continue NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration efforts." NASA promises to announce a new strategy for VIPER in the future. For now, the fully assembled rover remains in storage, a symbol of both technological achievement and bureaucratic hurdles. The search for a viable alternative continues, with the hope that this groundbreaking mission will one day make its way to the lunar surface.