The best robot to find water on the moon may not make it to space: NASA says funding shortfall

A lunar rover called Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover or simply VIPER was designed to search for ice on Earth's satellite. However, due to funding problems, NASA announced that it was canceling plans to send the work to the moon.

The space agency spent half a billion dollars and three years to develop VIPER. According to experts, this vehicle could be crucial to American monthly ambitions, so it is necessary to look for ways to launch it into space, writes CNN.

According to NASA, VIPER, which weighs 430 kilograms, is designed to explore the moon's south pole to find water ice. This is a key resource that could be turned into drink for astronauts or even rocket fuel. This could contribute to NASA's plans to establish a permanent settlement on the moon as part of Artemis. However, due to lack of funding, the explorer's trip has been canceled for now.

VIPER may not be able to see the moon

Commercial space companies are trying to submit proposals to NASA, suggesting ways to save the project. A petition with more than 4,500 signatures asking Congress to reinstate VIPER is circulating.

Scientists say that while it is not the only NASA-led project to search for water on the moon before astronauts arrive, VIPER is one of the best. While other projects include satellites remotely collecting data or stagnant drilling, this lunar rover is designed to roam the moon's surface, collecting data on specific resources and digging up soil where needed.

Ways to solve the problem

According to experts, at present, the future of the project may unfold in three ways. First, lawmakers will intervene and order NASA to launch the lunar rover. Second, VIPER, in which NASA has already invested 450 million dollars, can be dismantled and sold for parts. And the third option - some commercial company could buy out the work and invest some money to save the groundbreaking vehicle.

According to the Planetary Society, which is closely monitoring how the VIPER program may develop, NASA has been approached by many companies with options for a possible solution to the problem. However, the space agency has yet to comment.

Intuitive Machines co-founder and chief technology officer Tim Crane said VIPER is "essentially ready and has a small amount of testing ahead of it."

Under Intuitive Machines' proposal, it will use a new, larger version of its Nova-C landing module called Nova-D to deliver VIPER to the lunar surface as early as late 2026 or mid-2027. To achieve that goal, Intuitive Machines will have to raise its own funds to complete the finishing touches on VIPER before launch.

NASA and its commercial partners have already estimated that the lunar rover requires about $100 million in additional investment - mostly for testing and ground systems to support the mission - before it's ready to go to the moon. And Tim Crane said he thinks that's a "good number." But, he said, if Intuitive Machines takes control of the rover, the company will negotiate with NASA to reduce those costs.

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