NASA Selects Blue Origin to Deliver Viper Rover to Moon's South Pole
11 hours ago
- #NASA
- #Artemis
- #Moon Exploration
- NASA awarded Blue Origin a CLPS task order to deliver a rover to the Moon’s South Pole.
- The VIPER rover will search for volatile resources like ice to support future lunar and Mars exploration.
- The task order has a potential value of $190 million and marks Blue Origin’s second CLPS lunar delivery.
- VIPER is scheduled for delivery in late 2027 using Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 lander.
- NASA canceled VIPER earlier but revived it to map off-planet resources like water.
- The rover’s 100-day mission aims to identify accessible ice for future human missions.
- Blue Origin will handle landing mission architecture, payload integration, and deployment.
- NASA will oversee rover operations and science planning.
- The mission supports Artemis goals and commercial lunar economy development.