NASA has discontinued its money-guzzling VIPER rover due to increasing costs and logistical issues.
NASA is ending its development of the VIPER rover that was used to search for water on the Moon.
The international space agency has confirmed it is planning to use alternative methods to achieve their goals for the mission.
A post on the official NASA X page read: “After a comprehensive review, we are discontinuing development of our VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) project. We are committed to studying and exploring the Moon, and will pursue other methods to accomplish many of VIPER’s goals.”
VIPER has been hit with several delays and increasing running costs, with NASA claiming it would lead to rover being discontinued.
NASA spent a whopping $450 million, according to Bloomberg.
Nicola Fox, NASA’s associate administrator of the science mission directorate, commented: “The agency has an array of missions planned to look for ice and other resources on the Moon over the next five years.
“Our path forward will make maximum use of the technology and work that went into VIPER, while preserving critical funds to support our robust lunar portfolio.”
NASA pulls plug on VIPER rover for Moon water search
