NASA Viper Robot: Agency Reveals Plans for First Mobile Lunar Robot

NASA will send the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) will be sent to the Moon by NASA in 2023. The space agency said this will be the agency's first autonomous robot. It will be tasked with exploring the moon's farthest reaches. The aim is to chart resources near the Moon's South Pole that astronauts might one day be able to harvest.

According to NASA, VIPER will be the first rover with headlights, which will be crucial for exploring the Moon's dark areas. The space agency points out that the permanently shadowed areas of the lunar surface have been shielded from sunshine for billions of years, protecting secrets and artifacts that mankind is just just starting to discover.

NASA Viper Rover — NASA's new water-hunting mission to the Moon, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, has received agency-level approval to move from formulation into implementation of the final design of the rover. This puts the mission one step closer to launching to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2023. NASA

Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division at the agency's headquarters in Washington, said the data from VIPER can help scientists determine exact positions and amounts of ice on the Moon, as well as analyze the atmosphere and potential opportunities at the lunar south pole in preparation for Artemis astronauts. This is yet another reminder of how robotic science missions and human exploration work together as astronauts plan to create a long-term presence on the Moon, Glaze added.

As part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, the space agency said on its website that they gave Astrobotic a task order to launch, transit, and send VIPER to the lunar surface.

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VIPER to Use Different Tools to Scan Moon's Craters

The mobile robot is set to debut by the end of 2023, according to NASA. The tiny rover will use an ice drill, hammer, mass spectrometer, and near-infrared spectrometer to scan the Moon's craters. VIPER will take the place of NASA's Resource Prospector, which was cancelled in 2018. It will be best suited for the task.

Before VIPER, NASA plans to test early prototypes of these instruments on the Moon to ensure they perform as intended. The rover's suspension mechanism and wheels have been specially built to accommodate different soils and inclines in these craters.

VIPER is an essential part of NASA's Artemis program in general. mission program scientist Sarah Noble explained VIPER would be the most capable robot NASA has ever sent to the Moon. Noble said the said rover allows them to discover areas of the Moon that they have never seen before.

"VIPER would be the most capable robot NASA has ever sent to the Moon, allowing us to discover areas of the Moon that we have never seen before," Noble said in a statement uploaded on NASA's official website.

VIPER's design has progressed significantly. In another post on NASA's website, the agency recently approved the rover's entry into the mission production process after it completed its formulation phase. Its growth proceeds at a breakneck pace. NASA has committed $433.5 million to the mid-size rover's mission production and activities. The current valuation of Astrobotic's distribution contract to send VIPER to the Moon through CLPS is approximately $226.5 million.