Delays with both VIPER rover and privately built spacecraft led to cancellation due to risk of cuts or cancellations to other missions
NASA cancels $450 million Moon rover mission named VIPER due to delays and cost overruns
NASA continues pushing forward with lunar initiatives and Artemis human missions despite challenges and potential cost overruns
Non-functional 'mass simulator' will take VIPer's place instead
VIPER rover, scheduled for late next year, will not be sent to the moon
NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission, aimed at searching for water ice near the moon's south pole, has been canceled. The rover, built for $450 million and scheduled to launch late next year, will not be sent to the moon. Instead, a nonfunctional 'mass simulator' will take its place.
The decision comes after delays with both the VIPER rover and the privately built spacecraft that was to have landed it on the lunar surface. The rising costs risked cuts or cancellations to other missions, leading NASA officials to decide it was better to cut their losses with VIPER.
The proposed cancellation is not a new setback for NASA's science efforts. Costs for missions, such as collecting rocks and soil from Mars and bringing them back to Earth for study, have often exceeded expectations. The Europa Clipper mission, which aims to study Jupiter's moon with an under-ice ocean, may be delayed due to problems with some of its electronic components.
Despite these challenges, NASA continues to push forward with its lunar initiatives and Artemis human missions. The agency is also exploring opportunities for reusing VIPER's instruments and components in future missions.
NASA cancelled the VIPER project due to ballooning costs, with the estimated cost for the project projected to be $609.6 million.
The 430 kg rover was designed to fly to the Moon's South Pole onboard Astrobotic’s Griffin lander.
VIPER vehicle power up testing, including wheel movement and rotation, had not been completed before the cancellation.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
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Deception
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None Found At Time Of
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Fallacies
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The author makes an appeal to cost when justifying the cancellation of the VIPER project. However, they do not provide any context or comparison to similar projects or budget increases in NASA's history. This is an incomplete and potentially misleading appeal to cost.
Joel Kearns, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for exploration within the Science Mission Directorate, pointed at ballooning costs as a big driver for the cancellation of VIPER.
NASA’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission is being canceled.
VIPER rover, built for $450 million, will not be sent to the moon.
A nonfunctional ‘mass simulator’ will take VIPER’s place on the mission.
Accuracy
NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission is being canceled.
The launch is still scheduled for late next year but without VIPER aboard.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The author makes an appeal to the negative consequences of canceling the VIPER mission ('NASA will spend about $800 million to not send a robotic rover to the moon'), but does not provide any evidence or reasoning as to why these consequences are inevitable or unavoidable. This is an example of an Appeal to Emotion fallacy.
NASA will spend about $800 million to not send a robotic rover to the moon.
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