Overview

• The CS-7 task order has a potential value of up to $190 million and begins with design of VIPER-specific accommodations plus a rover off-loading demonstration.
• NASA will decide whether to exercise the delivery and deployment option only after reviewing the base work and the outcome of Blue Origin’s first MK1 mission.
• Blue Origin plans to use a second Blue Moon MK1 lander for the VIPER flight targeting late 2027, following an initial MK1 mission carrying two NASA instruments later this year.
• VIPER is designed for a roughly 100-day traverse at the lunar south pole to map water ice and other volatiles using instruments including the 1-meter TRIDENT drill.
• The award revives the mission canceled in 2024; Astrobotic did not bid for CS-7, and NASA has repurposed the original Griffin award toward a landing demonstration carrying commercial payloads.