Particle.news
Download on the App Store
5 ARTICLES
·
6h ago

NASA Revives VIPER With Staged Blue Origin CLPS Award, Eyes Late 2027 South Pole Landing

NASA structured the deal as a phased task to cut cost and schedule risk by requiring a successful MK1 demo before committing to delivery.

Artist’s concept of Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander with NASA’s VIPER rover on the Moon.

Overview

  • Blue Origin won CLPS task order CS-7 with a total potential value of $190 million to design VIPER accommodations and demonstrate rover off‑load on the Blue Moon Mark 1 lander.
  • NASA will decide whether to exercise the delivery and deployment option after completing the base work and after Blue Origin’s first MK1 mission lands successfully.
  • The first MK1 flight, awarded under a prior CLPS task, is planned later this year to deliver NASA’s SCALPSS camera and a laser retroreflector to the lunar south polar region.
  • If NASA exercises the option, the target landing timeframe for VIPER is late 2027 using a second MK1 lander already in production, with Blue Origin providing end‑to‑end landing mission services.
  • The award restores a mission canceled in 2024 when VIPER’s Astrobotic Griffin ride slipped and costs grew; VIPER remains a 100‑day search for polar water ice using instruments including Honeybee Robotics’ TRIDENT drill.