La NASA You have its new and spectacular Lunar Viper Exploration Rover. However, the agency faces a Unusual problem: He doesn’t get How to take it to the moon.
Designed to search for ice in the southern pole of our satellite, the vehicle currently remains stored In the Johnson space Center in Houston without a clear mission that throws it to the space.
Also read: NASA canceled the development of the rocket of the next manned mission to the moon
He VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) I was initially scheduled to launch in 2023with a key mission of identifying ice water deposits that could be vital for future human explorations and permanence on the moon within the Artemis program.
Similar to a golf cart, the Rover is a four -wheeled robotic vehicle with a weight of approximately 454 kilograms, designed to travel between 15 and 25 kilometers for 91 days. (Image: EFE)
Schedule and budget problems led to a successive postponement until 2025when Nasa decided Cancel the mission not to affect other lunar commercial projects and to save an estimated 84 million dollars.
-Cancellation generated a strong reaction in the scientific community, which led to the space agency to seek alternatives through a call so that private companies proposed how to take the rover to the Luna without the agency having to invest more funds.
Several companies, such as intuitive machines, showed interest, but the search for a private partner did not prosper and This strategy was also abandoned.
This is the Lunar Viper explorer
- Similar to a Golf cartRover is a four -wheeled robotic vehicle with a weight of approximately 454 kilograms, designed to travel between 15 and 25 kilometers for 91 days.
- It is able to overcome obstacles up to 20 centimeters high and slopes of up to 15 degrees.
- Is equipped with a Drill called Trident (The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploration of New Terrains) that can drill up to a deep meter To extract samples from lunar soil, a mass spectrometer that serves to Analyze the chemical composition of the soila system that analyzes the samples extracted for identify ice and mineralsand a neutrons spectrometer that can Measure the quantity and distribution of hydrogen (Water indicator) on lunar soil.
- As for operation, you need solar energy that stores in batteries, and with which you can operate in shadow areas and feed your front spotlights.
Also read: LANGE SCHEDULE: These are the most important spatial missions of 2025
The future of Rover Viper
With a development that already adds approximately 450 million dollars invested, The future of Rover Viper is uncertain. NASA confirmed that it will not allocate more own resources for lunar transport and that will explore other options to meet the scientific objectives of the project.
This cancellation reflects difficulties facing Space missions In the current context, marked by budgetary restrictions and the complexity of public-private collaboration in lunar exploration.
While other initiatives, such as Astrobotic’s Rover Flip, took over for lunar missions planned in the short term, the modern NASA Rover Viper remains assembled and ready, but without a specific plan for a launch that takes it to its target, the moon.
