2023-07-22 14:49:56
NASA will create a rover that will search for water in the lunar craters. The 450 kg lunar rover is called Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). It will be equipped with headlights and a one meter long drill.
What we know
The space agency announced the VIPER mission four years ago, following ending the Resource Prospector project. In 2020, the federal agency announced that the rover would be taken to the Moon in the Griffin Landing Module developed by Astrobotic.
NASA wanted to send VIPER to the moon by the end of 2023. Astrobotic, which was awarded a $200 million contract, however, was unable to meet that deadline. In this context, the start of the mission has been postponed to November 2024.
The total cost of the program is estimated at $500 million. This amount includes payment for SpaceX’s service, as the mission plans to use the Falcon Heavy rocket. The flight to the Moon will take five to seven months, depending on the trajectory chosen.
Source : ArsTechnica : ArsTechnica
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