VIPER Lunar Rover

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ASTROBOTIC AWARDED $199.5 MILLION CONTRACT TO DELIVER NASA MOON ROVER
JUNE 11, 2020
Astrobotic’s Griffin lunar lander to carry the NASA VIPER mission to the south pole of the Moon in 2023, as a precursor to a human landing

Pittsburgh, PA – Astrobotic, the world’s leading lunar logistics service provider, has been selected by NASA to deliver the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, to the south pole of the Moon in 2023.

Astrobotic will provide an end-to-end delivery for VIPER on board the company’s Griffin lunar lander through a $199.5 million contract awarded under the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, or CLPS. Griffin’s delivery of VIPER will be Astrobotic’s second CLPS delivery, following the company’s Peregrine lander delivery in 2021. In addition, Astrobotic’s MoonRanger rover was previously selected by NASA for delivery to the Moon in 2022 on the lander of another CLPS partner.

The Griffin lunar lander is Astrobotic’s medium capacity lander product line, and is capable of delivering up to 500 kg of mass to the lunar surface. Griffin uses many of the same subsystems and approaches employed by the Peregrine lander, which will fly two years before VIPER. Both lander product lines put a heavy emphasis on safe and reliable delivery of customer payloads to the Moon.

When VIPER disembarks from Griffin’s ramps onto the Moon, it will survey the surface and subsurface for water ice, which could be used for breathable air and rocket propellant by future deep space explorers. VIPER’s mapping of lunar water ice could be the first step toward utilizing resources in the space environment – rather than carting them all from Earth – to enable more affordable and sustainable space exploration.

“It is an enormous honor and responsibility to be chosen by NASA to deliver this mission of national importance,” said Astrobotic CEO John Thornton. “Astrobotic’s lunar logistics services were created to open a new era on the Moon. Delivering VIPER to look for water and setting the stage for the first human crew since Apollo embodies our mission as a company.”[/quote]

Astrobotic Awarded $199.5 Million Contract to Deliver NASA Moon Rover | Astrobotic

The site
www.astrobotic.com
 
NASA Selects Astrobotic to Fly Water-Hunting Rover to the Moon

NASA has awarded Astrobotic of Pittsburgh $199.5 million to deliver NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023.

The water-seeking mobile VIPER robot will help pave the way for astronaut missions to the lunar surface beginning in 2024 and will bring NASA a step closer to developing a sustainable, long-term presence on the Moon as part of the agency’s Artemis program.

“The VIPER rover and the commercial partnership that will deliver it to the Moon are a prime example of how the scientific community and U.S. industry are making NASA’s lunar exploration vision a reality,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. “Commercial partners are changing the landscape of space exploration, and VIPER is going to be a big boost to our efforts to send the first woman and next man to the lunar surface in 2024 through the Artemis program.”

VIPER’s flight to the Moon is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which leverages the capabilities of industry partners to quickly deliver scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the Moon. As part of its award, 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.

During its 100-Earth-day mission, the approximately 1,000-pound VIPER rover will roam several miles and use its four science instruments to sample various soil environments. Versions of its three water-hunting instruments are flying to the Moon on earlier CLPS lander deliveries in 2021 and 2022 to help test their performance on the lunar surface prior to VIPER’s mission. The rover also will have a drill to bore approximately 3 feet into the lunar surface.

“CLPS is a totally creative way to advance lunar exploration,” said NASA’s Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen. “We’re doing something that’s never been done before – testing the instruments on the Moon as the rover is being developed. VIPER and the many payloads we will send to the lunar surface in the next few years are going to help us realize the Moon’s vast scientific potential.”

www.nasa.gov

NASA Selects Astrobotic to Fly Water-Hunting Rover to the Moon - NASA

NASA has awarded Astrobotic of Pittsburgh $199.5 million to deliver NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon’s South Pole in
www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov

 
That VIPER schedule will slip. Anything flying on a CLPS vehicle will slip. And the first CLPS lander will crater in on the Moon.
 
NASA’s Moon Rover Prototype Conquers Steep, Scary Lander Exit Test:
www.nasa.gov

NASA’s Moon Rover Prototype Conquers Steep, Scary Lander Exit Test

Recent tests using VIPER rover and Griffin lander prototypes conducted at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley were designed to push VIPER’s systems to the limit to ensure the rover will perform as expected during its science mission
www.nasa.gov www.nasa.gov
 
NASA are between a rock and a hard place on this. Declining budget, while Viper has now cost $450M with no end in sight.
 
VIPER Clears Acoustic Tests as Scientists Question Proposed Cancellation:

VIPER Clears Acoustic Tests as Scientists Question Proposed Cancellation

Posted: July 23, 2024 11:35 pm ET | Last Updated: July 23, 2024 11:41 pm ET | NASA plans to cancel the VIPER lunar rover, but not until Congress agrees. In the meantime, environmental testing continues to get it ready for launch next year and it successfully passed acoustic testing today.
spacepolicyonline.com
 
Media report I saw said the cancellation would save $78 million. It doesn't get you back the $450M sunk costs!
That's politics for you I guess.
 
The science community is rallying to save VIPER. Following NASA’s announcement of its intent to cancel the VIPER mission to the Moon’s south pole, The Planetary Society helped circulate a letter signed by 1,000 individuals from the lunar and planetary science community to more than 200 key congressional staffers. The letter urges Congress to intervene, emphasizing the importance of VIPER for future lunar exploration and scientific discovery. Pictured: An artist’s impression showing NASA’s VIPER rover moving down a ramp of Astrobotic’s Griffin lander. Image credit: Astrobotic.
Click to expand...

www.planetary.org

Serendipity, a super-Jupiter, and saving VIPER

This was a big week in space, from Curiosity stumbling upon sulfur crystals to an exoplanet discovery and a major advocacy effort.
www.planetary.org www.planetary.org
 
OliverSedlacek said:
Media report I saw said the cancellation would save $78 million. It doesn't get you back the $450M sunk costs!
That's politics for you I guess.
Click to expand...

It saves about that much this year. But there are additional expenditures in future years, and possible cost overruns. So it will save more than that overall.

NASA's budget has been cut, and the planetary budget has taken hits. If they don't cancel this, then they have to find something else to cancel instead.
 
science.nasa.gov

VIPER Rover Partnership Opportunity: Request for Information - NASA Science

NASA is seeking interest from U.S. communities in partnering with NASA to conduct a Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission on the Moon that addresses some or all of NASA’s science objectives for VIPER, and could include other NASA exploration objectives, as well as any...
science.nasa.gov science.nasa.gov

VIPER Rover Partnership Opportunity: Request for Information
NASA is seeking interest from U.S. communities in partnering with NASA to conduct a Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission on the Moon that addresses some or all of NASA’s science objectives for VIPER, and could include other NASA exploration objectives, as well as any partner objectives. NASA would contribute the existing VIPER rover as is. Partner(s) would start with the existing VIPER rover and be expected to complete any remaining systems level testing, arrange for the integration and successful landing on the Moon, conduct a science/exploration campaign, and openly disseminate science data. U.S. domestically based partners would also be expected to provide other resources required to complete the mission from the hardware’s current state and to reimburse NASA for use of any NASA capabilities (including but not limited to any additional testing and anomaly resolution activities, payload preparation and processing support, or science/instrument/operations teams support) needed to successfully conduct the mission. The intent is that any partnership have minimal to no additional cost to NASA. If NASA chooses to pursue this path, partners may not disassemble and use instruments/parts of VIPER separately from a VIPER mission.
Click to expand...
 
Intuitive Machines looks to have picked up the infant left on the doorstep--so they look to be giving it a ride home, as it were.

Beats the burlap bag treatment I got at the creek. Granny knot led to my escape.
 
Orbit Beyond Inc intends to Respond to NASA's RFI for the Viper Rover:
finance.yahoo.com

Orbit Beyond Inc intends to Respond to NASA's RFI for the Viper Rover

EDISON, N.J., Aug. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orbit Beyond Inc, a lunar transportation, infrastructure, and exploration services company states it’s intent to respond to NASA’s RFI for the Viper Rover. Orbit Beyond will be the Lead on the project, and has been meeting with a Consortium of...
finance.yahoo.com finance.yahoo.com
 

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