Tag: VIPER rover
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NASA puts in an order with Blue Origin to work on sending VIPER rover to moon’s south pole
An artist’s conception shows NASA’s VIPER rover and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 lander on the lunar surface. (Blue Origin Illustration) NASA has selected Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture to help it resurrect a mission to send a robotic prospector to the moon’s south polar region. Kent, Wash.-based Blue Origin will be tasked with…
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NASA picks Astrobotic to deliver its VIPER rover to lunar south pole for nearly $200M
NASA has awarded a $199.5 million contract to Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic to deliver its VIPER rover to the moon’s south pole in 2023, marking one more not-so-small step for the commercialization of lunar exploration. VIPER, which stands for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, will conduct a detailed on-the-ground assessment of water ice buried in lunar soil.…
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NASA will send VIPER rover to the moon to track down south pole’s water ice
An artist’s conception shows NASA’s VIPER rover roaming the moon. (NASA Ames Illustration / Daniel Rutter) Update: VIPER was initially scheduled to be launched to the moon by as early as December 2022, but the current schedule sets a date no earlier than late 2023, with the delivery managed by Astrobotic. NASA says it’ll send…