VIPER (rover)
 Artist's impression of VIPER operating in darkness. | |
| Names | Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Exploration, resource prospecting |
| Operator | NASA |
| Website | https://www.nasa.gov/viper |
| Mission duration | 100 days (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Robotic lunar rover |
| Manufacturer | NASA Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center |
| Dry mass | 430 kg (950 lb) |
| Dimensions | 2.45 m (8 ft 0 in) in height, 1.53 m (5 ft 0 in) in length and width |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2027 (Planned) |
| Rocket | New Glenn |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, LC-36 |
| Contractor | Blue Origin |
| Moon rover | |
| Landing date | 2027 |
| Landing site | Mons Mouton, South pole region |
| Instruments | |
| Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS) Near InfraRed Volatiles Spectrometer System (NIRVSS) The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT) Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) | |
VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) is a lunar rover being developed at the NASA Ames Research Center. The rover's main mission is to prospect for lunar resources in permanently shadowed areas of lunar south pole region, especially by mapping the distribution and concentration of water ice. The mission is built on a previous NASA rover concept, the Resource Prospector, which had been cancelled in 2018.
VIPER was to be carried aboard Astrobotic's Griffin lander as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. However, NASA terminated the VIPER project in July 2024 due to cost increases and launch delays. NASA subsequently revived the project in September 2025, releasing an Announcement for Partnership Proposal seeking U.S. companies to deliver and operate the completed VIPER rover on the Moon. On September 19, 2025, NASA selected Blue Origin to carry VIPER to the Moon. Under this partnership, Blue Origin will design, test, and operate a lander to carry the rover to the moon.