NASA announced Wednesday that it is halting development of a water-seeking lunar rover, citing cost overruns and launch delays.
The Viper rover was scheduled to launch in late 2023 aboard a lander provided by Astrobotic Technologies, but additional tests and rising costs continue to delay the mission and threaten other projects. said the space agency.
The spacecraft aimed to explore the moon’s south pole. NASA says about $450 million has been spent on development so far.
Scientists discover giant cave on the moon that could be used as a shelter for astronauts
NASA’s Viper (Polar Exploration Volatile Materials Survey) vehicle is seen at Johnson Space Center in Houston on July 7, 2024. On July 17, 2024, NASA announced that it would cancel its water-searching mission to the moon. (Helen Arase Vargas/NASA, via AP)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The announcement comes just days before the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, which landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon on July 20, 1969. NASA said it plans to study the presence of ice on the moon through other projects.
Astrobotic plans to have the Griffin lunar lander, minus the rover, in flight by the end of next year. The company’s first moonshot failed in January in a violent nose dive over the South Pacific Ocean.