NASA Taps Blue Origin To Transport VIPER Rover To Lunar Surface In Groundbreaking Move

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In a groundbreaking move, NASA has entrusted Blue Origin with the mission to transport the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, to the lunar surface. This development comes after the space agency had previously canceled the project due to exorbitant costs and scheduling issues. VIPER, a cutting-edge rover designed to map resources and collect vital data, was initially slated to ride on Astrobotic's Griffin lander with a launch date in 2023. However, the project's costs skyrocketed to nearly $800 million, prompting NASA to reassess its plans.

Blue Origin, founded by Jeff Bezos, has been awarded a task order worth up to $190 million under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. The company will utilize its Blue Moon Mark 1 robotic lander to ferry VIPER to the moon's south pole, where it will embark on a mission to actively map resources, including ice, and gather crucial science data.

The VIPER rover is poised to be a major advancement in lunar exploration. Unlike its Mars counterparts, it will need to withstand extreme temperature fluctuations, with temperatures soaring to 500 degrees Fahrenheit in sunlight and plummeting to freezing lows in the shade.

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