NASA Awards Blue Origin Contract to Deliver VIPER Rover to Lunar South Pole in 2027
NASA has selected Blue Origin to transport the VIPER rover to the Moon's south pole in late 2027, aiming to explore water ice in permanently shadowed regions.
NASA has selected Blue Origin to deliver the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the Moon's south pole in late 2027. The $190 million task order, awarded under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, involves using Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 lander for the mission. VIPER is designed to search for water ice in permanently shadowed lunar craters, providing critical data for future human exploration.
This decision marks a reversal from July 2024, when NASA canceled the VIPER mission due to cost overruns and concerns about the readiness of the original lander, Astrobotic's Griffin. NASA later sought alternative approaches and, through the CLPS program, awarded the contract to Blue Origin. The base award covers the design of accommodations for VIPER on the Blue Moon lander and its deployment onto the lunar surface. An option to fund the actual delivery of VIPER will be exercised after the successful completion of design work and the first Blue Moon mission.
"We've been looking for creative, cost-effective approaches to accomplish these exploration goals," said Nicky Fox, NASA associate administrator for science. "This private sector-developed landing capability enables this delivery and focuses our investments accordingly—supporting American leadership in space and ensuring our long-term exploration is robust and affordable."
Blue Origin stated that their second Blue Moon MK1 lander is already in production and well-suited to support the VIPER rover. The company emphasized that this mission is important for future lunar permanence and will teach us about the origin and distribution of water on the Moon.
Astrobotic, the original lander provider, chose not to bid on the new VIPER opportunity, citing a compressed timeline and existing commitments. The company remains focused on the successful delivery of customer payloads aboard Griffin-1 and subsequent missions.
NASA has not disclosed details on the timeline for the CS-7 award or the number of bids it received.
