FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NASA Contracts Blue Origin to Deliver VIPER Rover to Lunar South Pole
WASHINGTON – NASA has selected Blue Origin to deliver the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the moon’s South Pole, a critical step in understanding lunar resources for future human exploration. The contract, a task order called CS-7 under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, aims to harness innovative, cost-effective solutions for lunar missions.
“Learning more about water on the lunar surface is key to determining how we can harness local resources for future human exploration,” stated Nicky Fox, Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters. “We’ve been looking for creative, cost-effective approaches to accomplish these exploration goals. This private sector-developed landing capability enables this delivery and focuses our investments accordingly – supporting American leadership in space and ensuring our long-term exploration is robust and affordable.”
The initial phase of the contract focuses on designing payload accommodations and demonstrating Blue Origin’s ability to off-load the rover onto the lunar surface. NASA retains an option to exercise the contract for full delivery and safe deployment of the rover. This decision will be made following a review of the base task and Blue Origin’s inaugural flight of it’s Blue Moon MK1 lander, a strategy designed to minimize both cost and technical risk for the agency.
Blue Origin will oversee the complete landing mission, including design, analysis, testing, payload integration, planning, support, and post-landing deployment. NASA will be responsible for rover operations and science planning. the VIPER rover is targeted for a 100-day mission with a landing scheduled by late 2027.
“The search for lunar volatiles plays a key role in NASA’s exploration of the Moon, with critically important implications for both science and human missions under Artemis,” explained joel Kearns, Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters. “This delivery could show us where ice is most likely to be found and easiest to access, as a future resource for humans. and by studying these sources of lunar water, we also gain valuable insight into the distribution and origin of volatiles across the solar system, helping us better understand the processes that have shaped our space habitat and how our inner solar system has evolved.”
This mission exemplifies the success of the CLPS initiative in fostering a commercial lunar economy and showcasing American leadership in space. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley led the VIPER rover’s growth and will spearhead its science investigations, with engineering development support provided by NASA’s Johnson Space Center in houston.
Learn More:
Media Contacts:
alise Fisher
Headquarters,Washington
202-358-2546
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov
kenna Pell / Nilufar Ramji
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
kenna.m.pell@nasa.gov / nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov