NASA has revived its cancelled $450 million Moon rover project, Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), by announcing a new partnership proposal for American companies to use the existing rover. The agency had initially scrapped the project due to financial constraints but later decided to put it back on track with minimal government funding required.
The VIPER was designed to study ice on the lunar surface and assess its potential use in future crewed Moon missions. It was equipped with four main instruments that could detect water, analyze samples, and assess gases in the environment. Although initially planned for a specific mission under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, NASA decided to remove these instruments and reuse them on other missions.
However, after re-issuing a request for information, NASA has now targeted American companies that will have to agree to fly the VIPER as-is, while covering critical mission stages. The agency aims to decide on the best course of action by this summer but will only accept proposals until March 3.
One key condition of the partnership proposal is that participating companies must share data from the mission’s science instruments openly with anyone who wishes to use it. With NASA’s revised approach, American companies have an opportunity to repurpose the VIPER and contribute to the exploration of the lunar surface.
Source: https://www.autoevolution.com/news/nasa-is-literally-giving-a-moon-rover-away-but-only-to-american-companies-246569.html