# VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover)

**Type:** Lunar science and prospecting rover  
**Mission:** Characterize water ice at lunar south pole  
**Operator:** NASA  
**Status:** Active development, late 2027 delivery planned

## Overview
VIPER is a lunar rover designed to characterize the location, concentration, and form of water ice at the lunar south pole. The mission is a prerequisite for future in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) operations.

## Technical Specifications
- **Mission duration:** 100 days
- **TRIDENT percussion drill:** 1m depth capability into lunar regolith
- **Instruments:**
  - Mass Spectrometer (MS)
  - Near-Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System (NIRVSS)
  - Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS)
- **Navigation:** Headlights for operation in permanently shadowed craters

## Mission Objectives
- Map water ice distribution at lunar south pole
- Determine ice concentration and form (surface frost vs. pore ice vs. massive ice)
- Assess accessibility for future extraction operations
- Provide site characterization data for ISRU system design

## Timeline
- **2023** — Original planned delivery date (Astrobotic Griffin lander)
- **2024** — Delayed delivery target
- **2024-08** — Mission canceled by NASA due to cost growth and schedule delays
- **2025-09-22** — Mission revived through NASA CLPS CS-7 contract with Blue Origin
- **Late 2027** — Planned delivery to lunar south pole via Blue Moon MK1 lander

## Delivery Architecture
**Contractor:** Blue Origin  
**Vehicle:** Blue Moon MK1 lander (second production unit)  
**Contract value:** Up to $190M  
**Contract structure:** Initial award covers design phase; NASA option for actual landing after Blue Origin's first Blue Moon MK1 mission (2026 target)

## Strategic Significance
VIPER is a science mission, not an ISRU production demonstration. Its data is a structural prerequisite for operational ISRU development, creating a sequential dependency: prospecting → data analysis → site selection → hardware design → deployment. This sequence constrains operational lunar ISRU to post-2029 timelines.