NASA's Forgotten Lunar Robot Could Witness a Revival through a Lunar Private Venture
Intuitive Machines is wantin' to take the reins on a four-wheeled lunar rover, after NASA scrapped its plans for a Moon trip due to budget constraints.
They're chargin' up an answer to a call from NASA seekin' interest from parties eager to partner with the space agency on sendin' the rover to the Moon. Juicy details were spilled in a recent earnings call by company officials, revealin' that NASA would provide the water-huntin' bot as is, and the chosen partner would handle the rest – includin' landing the mission on the Moon and achievein' its science objectives.
VIPER, or Volatiles Investigatin' Polar Exploration Rover, was meant to sniff out and study water ice on the Moon's south pole. A cool $450 million mission, it was set for launch in September 2025 on board Astrobotic's Griffin lander under a Commercial Lunar Payload Services task order. But delays on the supply chain and a recent fear from NASA that it would interfere with other payloads to the Moon led to them cancellin' VIPER's lunar journey.
When they spilled the beans, NASA revealed they'd tear the rover apart and use its parts for future missions, sparkin' outrage from the science community with the loss of the precious bot. As a result, NASA quickly broadcasted a call for parties to step up and take over their lunar rover, and Intuitive Machines ain't lettin' the chance slide. They're currently collaboratin' with other businesses, research organizations, and international partners to reply to NASA's request for information. According to a report from SpaceNews, during the earnings call, Steve Altemus, chief exec of Intuitive Machines, said, "VIPER science is important to lunar researchers and the future of the Artemis program, and it’s vital in terms of prospectin' for volatiles and entrained water ice in the soil."
Intuitive Machines ain't new to the Moon; back in February, they launched the Odysseus lander as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The landing didn't exactly go smooth – one of Odysseus' legs got hooked during descent, causin' it to tip over on its side and possibly end up restin' on a rock. Here's hopin' they'll have better luck with VIPER. During the call, Intuitive Machines officials hinted that the rover might hitch a ride on board their upcoming Nova-D lander (which is currently in development) and launch somethin' in late 2027.
NASA's pretty clear they won't be pumpin' any more cash into VIPER's axed lunar mission. "The idea is that any partnership has minimal to no extras for NASA," the space agency wrote in their request for information. If Intuitive Machines gets the green light to take over VIPER, NASA wants 'em to pay back for any bells and whistles like additional testing of the rover, payload preparation, and science team support.
NASA's asked for help from the private sector before. Back in 2018, they canned another lunar rover with similar objectives, Lunar Resources Prospector (LRP. RIP). But after rollin' out their Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, NASA promised to fly LRP on a future private mission to the Moon. So, here's hopin' these cancelled missions will still find their way to the lunar surface in the future.
More: Small Teams at Intuitive Machines: Fightin' Big Lunar Challenges
- Despite the budget constraints that led NASA to cancel its plans for a Moon trip, Intuitive Machines is aiming to pick up the task of sending a rover to the Moon by 2025.
- In the future, Intuitive Machines plans to launch the VIPER rover, which was originally meant to study water ice on the Moon's south pole, possibly aboard their Nova-D lander, slated for a late 2027 launch.
- The chosen partner in this collaboration will be responsible for landing the mission on the Moon and achieving its science objectives, while NASA will provide the VIPER rover as is.
- If Intuitive Machines is selected to take over VIPER, they may need to cover costs for additional testing of the rover, payload preparation, and science team support, as per NASA's request for information.
