Blue Origin to deliver NASA’s VIPER rover to Moon in late 2027

NASA has revived its VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) mission to explore the Moon’s south pole, awarding Blue Origin a $190 million Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract to deliver the rover in late 2027. VIPER will be transported on Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1) lander, currently in production, and will conduct a 100-day science mission focused on investigating permanently shadowed regions for water ice and other volatiles. This mission supports NASA’s Artemis program goals of establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon by identifying resources critical for astronaut survival and fuel production. The VIPER mission had previously faced cancellation in July 2024 due to technical delays and cost overruns, despite significant investment and rover assembly completion. However, after pausing dismantling efforts and reconsidering strategy, NASA officially reinstated the mission with Blue Origin’s involvement. Blue Origin will manage the entire landing process, including payload integration and rover deployment,