NASA just brought back from the dead a science mission to the moon involving a water-seeking rover that many believed was already being disassembled and scrapped for parts.
The U.S. space agency canceled the so-called VIPER rover, short for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, in July 2024, citing launch delays and cost overruns. VIPER, already $450 million into development, would drill for water ice at the moon's south pole. The findings would then be used to decide where astronauts would land in the future.
VIPER was originally supposed to reach the moon in 2023 on a lander built by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology, but NASA believed the commercial spacecraft needed more time for testing. That, coupled with other schedule and supply chain issues, meant putting more time and money into a beleaguered mission that could jeopardize other lunar plans.
Now, without much fanfare, NASA has restored the mission, choosing billionaire Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin to deliver the rover to the lunar south pole in late 2027. The mission is part of the Artemis program, which aims to create a long-lasting human presence on the moon in preparation for potential future missions to Mars.
"The selection of Blue Origin to deliver VIPER is a victory for science, lunar exploration, and U.S. leadership in space," said Grant Henriksen of the National Space Society, which released a position paper last year advocating for a solution to save the mission. "It demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships to overcome challenges and keep critical missions alive."
For the VIPER mission, Blue Origin will design, test, and operate the lander, which will carry the rover to the moon. Once the vehicle is on the surface, NASA will run it for an anticipated 100 days.
Blue Origin has already built a robotic lander to go to the moon for a different mission as early as this year. Under a new NASA task order, the Kent, Washington-based company would manufacture another lander to deliver the rover for up to $190 million. The duplicate spacecraft is already in production, according to NASA.
Blue Origin is one of many vendors in NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. The program has recruited the private sector to help deliver cargo, conduct experiments, and demonstrate new technology, as well as send back crucial data to support Artemis. Through these contracts, NASA wants to see a regular cadence of moon missions to prepare for astronauts' return to the moon in 2027 or later.
Several nations and companies have set their sights on the moon's south pole because of its natural ice. The resource, thought to be buried in permanently shadowed craters, is coveted because it could supply drinking water, oxygen, and rocket fuel for future space voyages. Not only is their economic interest in the off-planet ice, but having access to lunar water would make it more feasible for astronauts to live on the moon for longer durations.
The mission's sudden return followed objections from space advocacy groups, which applied pressure on Congress. Lawmakers then requested that private companies step in to help save the rover.
Water is scarce in deep space, so scientists have long wondered whether the moon's tiny bit could be tapped, Matt Siegler, senior scientist for the Planetary Science Institute, told Mashable in 2022.
Water was directly detected on the moon for the first time with the instruments on China's Chang'E-5 robotic lander in December 2020. That data suggested there may be more water on the moon than even previously suspected, Siegler said.
"I'm sure there are a lot of American scientists who are jealous that we didn't have the lander on the moon to do this measurement," said Siegler, who is a part of NASA’s VIPER team.
Under President Donald Trump's administration, discussions of a new space race between the United States and China have intensified, with many concerned China's military-run program could send astronauts to the moon — and perhaps even onward to Mars — before NASA. China wants to land people at the moon's south pole in 2030. Former NASA administrator Bill Nelson feared China might hoard the resources without sharing.
That's at least one matter on which the new acting administrator under Trump's Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy agrees. At a ceremony to announce the new 2025 astronaut class in Houston last week, he made those feelings clear.
"Some are challenging our leadership in space — say, like the Chinese, and I'll just tell you this, I'll be damned if the Chinese beat NASA or beat America back to the moon," Duffy said. "We love challenges. We love competition, and we are going to win."
