NASA’s $450 million lunar probe, the Volatile Investigation Polar Rover (VIPER), I won’t go to the moonBut something else will take its place, and given the costs involved, the decision is likely to raise some eyebrows, if not serious questions, about the space agency’s budget situation.
The rover, which is already completed, was originally intended to be mounted on a lunar lander called Griffin, which was developed by the private company Astrobotic at a cost of an additional $323 million.
Griffin will go to the moon, but instead of carrying VIPER, it will carry a “mass simulator” instead, which is NASA’s technical term for replacing VIPER with a non-functioning chunk of material weighing roughly the same as the rover’s 950 pounds.
In summary, Scientific AmericanReport“If VIPER fails to fly, NASA will have to spend roughly $800 million to send a literal deadweight to the Moon instead.”
When the space agency announced its decision to abort the VIPER mission last week, It was a big shock for space scientists.The rover was expected to collect groundbreaking data about the unexplored subsurface ice of the lunar south pole, providing a vital foundation for preparing for the arrival of future manned exploration missions.
Now the VIPER is set to be scrapped for parts.
NASA argued that it had no choice in the decision: VIPER’s costs were already ballooning, and while the probe was fully built, it had not yet been fully tested. Further testing to prove it was fit for spaceflight was expected to cost more than $600 million, and that was assuming the probe passed testing without any significant issues.
NASA was concerned that if it didn’t cancel the project, the costs would eat into the budgets of other lunar missions.
“This is a difficult and disappointing decision, we all know that. We had to make it under circumstances of uncertainty and limited budgets,” Joel Karns, NASA’s associate administrator for exploration, said during a presentation this week. Siam“But we believe this is a way for us to continue to support our lunar science portfolio and our dedication to studying the moon.”
NASA Federal budget cuts hit hardThis year, the budget fell about $2.3 billion short of its original goal of $27.2 billion, a 7% increase from 2023.
Instead of a 7% increase, NASA has been cut by 2% and now has a budget of $24.8 billion. Dismissal And austerity Through a number of programsAnd the budget situation It won’t get better next yearWhat is the fate of this ambitious initiative? Mars Sample Return Mission A state of limbo.
Given all this, the agency’s frugality is understandable. But scrapping the already-built VIPER at the last minute and replacing it with a mass simulator certainly doesn’t look good. Petitioning Congress to Overturn NASA’s Decision.
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