NASA down VIPER mission after spending 450 million dollars

The world’s largest space agency NASA is facing a budget crunch. According to a report, NASA has scrapped its upcoming robotic mission, VIPER. The full name of VIPER is Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover. This rover was to be landed near the south pole of the moon. NASA wanted the rover to reach there and explore the ice reserves. The mission was proposed for 100 days, which was to be launched by the year 2025. It is being said that NASA has either scrapped the mission or possibly sold it to the industry.

of space.com Report According to NASA, the decision to end the VIPER mission was taken in a teleconference on July 17. NASA is expected to save $84 million by cancelling the mission. The space agency has so far spent about $450 million (about Rs 37 billion) on this program, which does not include the cost of the launch.

It would be disappointing for the space agency to cancel a program this far in advance. However, its leadership insists that the work done on the program was successful. The mission was terminated only due to budgetary issues.

According to the report, at the time the VIPER mission was terminated, the rover was fully ready and was undergoing environmental testing. This testing confirms whether the rover will be able to withstand the harsh environment of space or not. The space agency is now looking at how to reuse the scientific instruments installed in VIPER.

NASA is confident that future moon missions will achieve the goals that were achieved through the VIPER mission. The space agency has several proposed moon missions. The Artemis mission is prominent among them. Under this, preparations are being made to send humans to the moon once again.