NASA is looking for private partners for the delivery of the viper lunar can be allocated to the moon, and not in parts

On February 3, 2025, NASA announced a competition for collecting proposals for private partnerships for delivery to the Moon Rohane Road Viper. The agency itself does not have funds for the design and creation of a lunar landing module and related equipment. The collection of applications is closed on February 20. After a preliminary assessment, all companies that took part in the competition must submit depressed plans before the summer. In the summer, NASA will choose a partner for the mission.

Image source: NASA

The viper (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover), designed to search for volatile substances in the soldier region of the moon, was completely collected and in the fall of 2024 successfully passed checks in the thermal camera NASA. However, the NASA budget for 2025 was significantly reduced. In order not to stop the most important programs, for example, to support the James Webb telescope, the agency is forced to close not finished projects and completely old missions, including the termination of the Khabble telescope.

Sending the lunoprrush NASA Viper dragged on for a number of reasons. The main problem was Astrobotic, which from the very beginning had difficulties with the creation of lunar landing modules. The first of them was out of order, not having time to move away from the ground. The company did not meet the time of manufacturing the landing module for Viper, which is why the mission continued to consume budget funds. This forced NASA to declare in July 2024 about turning the program and willingness to sell the lunar rover devices in parts to install them in other devices.

The folding of the Viper project caused a wave of indignation in the scientific environment up to an open letter to the US Congress. The lunar rover was supposed to look for traces of water in the area of ​​the South Pole of the moon – this aspect is considered the key to the program to return a person to the moon. It will be unacceptable for the United States if the Chinese are the first to do, who plan a similar mission to the moon in 2026 (Chane-7). Therefore, in August, NASA resumed the search for a partner for the delivery of a lunar rover to the moon – in any form, entirely or in parts.

Announcement of the competition for the search for a partner for the Viper mission can be considered a signal for active actions to continue the project. NASA notes that the main requirements for future partners will be maintained by the integrity of the lunar rover (it will not be disassembled to individual devices), as well as a guarantee of transferring all collected scientific data to free access without restrictions (precedents, when this happened otherwise, was already enough to recall Rambus company and its DRAM patents). In addition, a mandatory condition will be a mutual exchange of technologies and developments necessary for the implementation of the mission.