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- NASA introduced it’s canceling its Viper moon rover challenge attributable to excessive price and launch delays.
- The Viper rover was meant to discover the moon’s south pole searching for water.
- Astrobotic Technology nonetheless plans to fly its Griffin moon lander by the top of subsequent 12 months, however it is going to now not carry a moon rover with it as initially supposed.
NASA mentioned Wednesday it is canceling its water-seeking moon rover, citing price overruns and launch delays.
The Viper rover was speculated to launch in late 2023 aboard a lander offered by Astrobotic Technology, however further testing and elevated prices saved delaying the mission, threatening different initiatives, the area company mentioned.
The rover had aimed to discover the moon’s south pole. About $450 million had been spent up to now on its growth, NASA mentioned.
SCIENTISTS DISCOVER MASSIVE CAVE ON MOON THAT COULD BE USED TO SHELTER ASTRONAUTS
NASA’s Viper (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration) automobile is seen on the Johnson Space Center in Houston on July 7, 2024. On July 17, 2024, NASA mentioned it’s canceling the water-seeking moon rover. (Helen Arase Vargas/NASA through AP)
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The announcement comes days earlier than the fifty fifth anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, which landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon on July 20, 1969. NASA mentioned it plans to check the presence of lunar ice via different initiatives.
Astrobotic nonetheless plans to fly its Griffin moon lander — minus a rover — by the top of subsequent 12 months. The firm’s first moonshot led to failure in January with a fiery plunge over the South Pacific.
