NASA’s VIPER mission, which won’t launch until 2024, aims to find the source of the moon’s water.
NASA’s VIPER mission will return measurements that provide insights into the origin and distribution of water on the Moon to help determine how future space exploration missions can harvest its resources.
The VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) crew and Astrobotic have been asked by NASA to move VIPER’s delivery to the Moon’s South Pole from November 2023 to November 2024. VIPER is a rover that will provide measurements that will shed light on where the water on the Moon came from and how it is distributed, as well as aid plan how future missions to explore space for people can use the Moon’s resources.
The Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) effort of NASA includes VIPER, which enables American businesses to purchase lunar delivery services for payloads for the moon that enhance science, exploration, or commercial development capabilities. NASA hired Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic through CLPS to send VIPER to the moon’s surface on the Griffin lander.
As part of its request to Astrobotic for more ground testing of the Griffin lunar lander, which is intended to transport VIPER to the Moon’s surface, NASA decided to pursue a 2024 delivery date. The additional tests are being requested by the space agency in order to lower overall delivery risk for VIPER. The CLPS contract with Astrobiotics has been increased by an extra $67.8 million, bringing the contract’s current value to $320.4 million.
NASA has given U.S. businesses the very difficult technological achievement of safely landing and operating on the Moon with CLPS. “We’ve implemented enhanced lander testing for this specific CLPS surface delivery,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in a press release. “VIPER is NASA’s largest and most complex science payload to be delivered to the Moon through CLPS.
CLPS is a crucial component of NASA’s Artemis lunar missions. Missions on and around the moon will benefit from science and technological payloads that are launched to the moon’s surface. With future delivery awards anticipated through 2028, the space agency has so far given seven task orders to CLPS providers for lunar deliveries in the early 2020s.
The VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) crew and Astrobotic have been asked by NASA to move VIPER’s delivery to the Moon’s South Pole from November 2023 to November 2024. VIPER is a rover that will provide measurements that will shed light on where the water on the Moon came from and how it is distributed, as well as aid plan how future missions to explore space for people can use the Moon’s resources.
The Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) effort of NASA includes VIPER, which enables American businesses to purchase lunar delivery services for payloads for the moon that enhance science, exploration, or commercial development capabilities. NASA hired Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic through CLPS to send VIPER to the moon’s surface on the Griffin lander.
As part of its request to Astrobotic for more ground testing of the Griffin lunar lander, which is intended to transport VIPER to the Moon’s surface, NASA decided to pursue a 2024 delivery date. The additional tests are being requested by the space agency in order to lower overall delivery risk for VIPER. The CLPS contract with Astrobiotics has been increased by an extra $67.8 million, bringing the contract’s current value to $320.4 million.
NASA has given U.S. businesses the very difficult technological achievement of safely landing and operating on the Moon with CLPS. “We’ve implemented enhanced lander testing for this specific CLPS surface delivery,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in a press release. “VIPER is NASA’s largest and most complex science payload to be delivered to the Moon through CLPS.
CLPS is a crucial component of NASA’s Artemis lunar missions. Missions on and around the moon will benefit from science and technological payloads that are launched to the moon’s surface. With future delivery awards anticipated through 2028, the space agency has so far given seven task orders to CLPS providers for lunar deliveries in the early 2020s.
Source Link: