NASA cancels its moon rover mission, citing cost overruns and launch delays

This photo provided by NASA shows the Viper (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration) vehicle at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on July 7, 2024. (Helen Arase Vargas/NASA via AP)

WASHINGTON — NASA said Wednesday it's cancelling its water-seeking moon rover, citing cost overruns and launch delays.

The Viper rover was supposed to launch in late 2023 aboard a lander provided by Astrobotic Technology, but extra testing and increased costs kept delaying the mission, threatening other projects, the space agency said.

The rover had aimed to explore the moon's south pole. About US$450 million had been spent so far on its development, NASA said.

The announcement comes days before the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, which landed Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon on July 20, 1969. NASA said it plans to study the presence of lunar ice through other projects.

Astrobotic still plans to fly its Griffin moon lander –– minus a rover –– by the end of next year. The company's first moonshot ended in failure in January with a fiery plunge over the South Pacific.

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