NASA spent nearly $450 million to develop the rover for the lunar surface but would have to spend a lot more money to test it. Congress initially authorized a $433.5 million budget for the VIPER rover, which was supposed to begin ice exploration before the end of 2023.
Realizing the mission won’t happen in a timely manner and needing money for other projects, the space agency axed the VIPER program on July 17.
Whether searching for ice on the moon or on Mars, NASA has the same goal – studying the chemical compounds in the ice. Those compounds help tell the story of the lunar body or that of Mars when the space agency finally launches a mission to recover dozens of core samples currently being extracted by a rover on Mars.
The chemical compounds also could help tell scientists more about the formation of the solar system.