NASA's decision to cancel the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission has created significant ripples within its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Initially announced in July, the cancellation, attributed to cost and schedule overruns, was further detailed in a response to a House Science Committee inquiry.
The agency's October response revealed that continuing VIPER would have necessitated canceling between one and four CLPS missions, depending on the launch scenario. One scenario, involving a launch on Astrobotic’s Griffin lander in September 2025, projected a need for an additional $104 million, resulting in one canceled and one delayed CLPS mission.
A delayed launch to September 2026, in another scenario, estimated additional costs of $90 million, leading to the cancellation of two CLPS task orders and a one-year delay for two others. Exploring alternative delivery methods projected costs ranging from $350 million to $550 million, resulting in the cancellation of four CLPS task orders and delays of three to four more by two years.
Despite completing environmental tests without issues, as noted by Anthony Colaprete, VIPER project scientist, NASA cited delayed progress and significant risk as reasons for cancellation. The agency is now exploring partnerships to revive the mission, having received numerous expressions of interest from domestic and international entities.
Brent Sherwood, space domain lead at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, criticized the cancellation, highlighting VIPER's importance in investigating lunar water ice deposits. He emphasized that without VIPER data, future lunar exploration plans remain largely speculative. NASA is now evaluating proposals and plans to outline next steps by early 2025.