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NASA Cancels Viper Rover Mission Due to Cost Overruns and Delays
NASA has announced the cancellation of its Viper rover mission, attributing the decision to cost overruns and significant launch delays. The ambitious project had initially been scheduled to launch in late 2023, carried by a lander. However, the mission faced continuous setbacks due to additional testing requirements and spiraling costs, placing other space agency projects at risk.
The Viper rover was intended to explore the moon's south pole and had already seen an investment of approximately $450 million in its development. The decision to halt the mission comes just days ahead of the 55th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 mission, which saw Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landing on the moon on July 20, 1969.
Despite the mission's cancellation, NASA remains committed to studying the presence of lunar ice. The agency plans to pursue alternative projects to achieve this objective. Meanwhile, Astrobotic, the company responsible for providing the Griffin moon lander for the Viper mission, plans to proceed with a flight of the Griffin lander by the end of next year, albeit without the Viper rover. Notably, Astrobotic's earlier attempt at a moonshot resulted in a fiery crash over the South Pacific in January.
