What will happen to VIPER? NASA shifts into reverse on canceled moon rover
It seems NASA's ice-hunting VIPER rover won't be hitching a ride to the moon as a part of a private sector partnership, as the space agency had previously sought.
The Volatiles Investigating Polar Explorer Rover (VIPER) has had a rocky, uncertain year. NASA announced its cancellation last summer over budget concerns, then opened a solicitation request for private sector partnerships in an attempt to get VIPER to the moon at no additional cost to the government. On Wednesday (May 7), NASA announced the cancellation of that search, and thanked the companies that submitted proposals.
'We appreciate the efforts of those who proposed to the Lunar Volatiles Science Partnership Announcement for Partnership Proposals call,' NASA's Science Mission Directorate Associate Administrator Nicky Fox said in the statement. "We look forward to accomplishing future volatiles science with VIPER as we continue NASA's Moon to Mars exploration efforts.'
VIPER is designed to hunt for water ice deposits near the moon's south pole — an area of interest to NASA, as it plans to establish a permanent presence there as a part of the Artemis program. VIPER was designed to help assess potentially life-supporting resources ahead of those future crewed installations.
Originally, VIPER was slated to land on the lunar surface aboard Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic's Griffin lander, as a part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Griffin is expected to launch to the moon later this year, but will now be carrying Astrolab's FLIP moon rover instead.
Last July, NASA said that the VIPER cancellation would save the space agency about $84 million in development costs, in addition to its initial $250 million estimation and more than $250 million in projected over costs. Now, with NASA no longer seeking partnerships for VIPER in the private sector, it is unclear how the rover will get to the moon.
Related stories:
— NASA unveils landing site on the moon for ice-hunting VIPER rover
— VIPER back from the dead? NASA asks US companies to partner on ice-hunting moon rover
— NASA picks 9 companies to develop Mars 'commercial services' ideas
The Trump administration's recently released "skinny budget" proposes to reduce NASA's funding by 24%. More than half of that cut would come from the Science Mission Directorate, painting an unclear future not only for VIPER but a slew of other missions as well.
In the meantime, VIPER is fully assembled and ready to launch, save its need for a lander to ferry it to the lunar surface and a rocket to launch it into space. "The agency will announce a new strategy for VIPER in the future," NASA said in Wednesday's statement.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
34 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Admin Insider Blows Lid Off Tariffs: ‘It's All Fake'
A source deeply embedded in the Trump administration's ongoing trade talks accused the Republican president of waging a tariff war for TV ratings. '[Donald] Trump knows the most interesting part of his presidency is the tariff conversation,' the White House insider, who chose to remain anonymous out of fear of reprisal, told Politico. 'It's all fake. There's no deadline. It's a self-imposed landmark in this theatrical show, and that's where we are.' In April, the MAGA figurehead paused his sweeping 'Liberation Day' tariffs to announce a three-month window for the world to negotiate new trade agreements with the United States—or face the full fury of his levies. In a subsequent interview with Time magazine, Trump claimed to have in principle already 'made all the deals' with more than 200 foreign partners, before later suggesting the real number would likely be closer to just a few dozen. Yet ahead of a self-imposed July 9 deadline, only the UK and China have inked relatively limited arrangements, with less than four days now left to go. As global markets brace for the Wednesday deadline, Trump has lately appeared full of tough talk in his public appearances, telling reporters Friday he'd already signed more than 12 'take it or leave it' letters to various countries reminding them of the levies they'll face if a deal is not soon reached, Reuters reported. On other occasions, Truymp appeared to revel in the uncertainty that his tariff regime has created. 'We can do whatever we want,' he said of the deadline during a White House press conference Tuesday, CNBC reported. 'We could extend it, we could make it shorter. I'd like to make it shorter.' That ambivalence apparently has some of the president's allies questioning just how far he's willing to go to net new trade opportunities for the country. 'You have wins. Take them,' as the White House insider put it to Politico. 'You only have to assume he doesn't want to take them because he likes the game too much.' In a statement to the Daily Beast, White House spokesman Kush Desai said 'the hollowing out of American Main Streets and industries by unfair foreign trade practices is not a theatrical show.' Desai added, 'President Trump pledged to use tariffs to level the playing field and restore American Greatness, and the Administration is committed to delivering on this pledge.'
Business Upturn
an hour ago
- Business Upturn
On Eve of Massive Spending Proposal, Resurfacing Presentation from Former Pentagon Advisor Suggests Untapped U.S. Asset Could Quietly Balance the Books
Washington, D.C., July 05, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — As President Trump prepares to introduce a sweeping legislative package—described by insiders as a 'Big Beautiful Bill' with trillion-dollar implications—a released presentation by former White House advisor Jim Rickards may offer a surprising counterbalance. According to Rickards, the U.S. already controls a little-known national asset capable of offsetting many of the bill's fiscal demands—without borrowing, taxing, or printing new dollars. 'The nature of this 'trust' as I call it, is such that politicians haven't been able to raid it… which has allowed it to grow untouched… for decades' . 'This is not some kind of government program like those COVID relief checks,' he adds. 'But it is a chance for the average American to become richer than they ever imagined' . A Resource Base Hidden in Plain Sight The presentation points to a vast store of natural resources—buried beneath federally owned land—stretching across the United States. These include copper, lithium, uranium, and other strategic minerals essential to infrastructure, defense, and energy systems. '$516 billion is here in the Salton Sea area of California… $3.1 trillion in Nome, Alaska. And $7.35 trillion in Midland, Texas…' . Rickards notes that these reserves have been known to government agencies for decades, but effectively off-limits due to environmental red tape and political inertia. 'For the past 50 years, fake-experts have strangled us from within the government,' he says. 'They tied us down with reams of regulation' . Trump's Pivot to Domestic Wealth With the introduction of this new bill—which some expect to prioritize military modernization, industrial revitalization, and energy security—Rickards believes the shift toward using domestic assets isn't just philosophical, it's practical. 'Trump is re-opening our mineral-rich Federal Lands. And fast-tracking companies that could recover trillions of dollars' worth of resources, right here in America'. 'There are certain areas where we have great, raw earth… and we're not allowed to use it because of the environment. I'm going to open them up,' Trump said . Decades of Delay. Days from Decision. The presentation references several high-value resource projects that have been stuck in limbo for years: 'Resolution Copper Mine… 29 years' 'Pebble Mine… since 1990' 'Thacker Pass Lithium Mine… since 1978' Now, Rickards says, the clock may finally be ticking in the other direction. 'We know exactly where these minerals are. We know they're worth trillions of dollars. And now—for the first time in half a century—we can go get them' . A New Path Forward? Rickards argues this isn't a question of what to create—but whether we'll finally use what's already ours. 'It's not earmarked for any specific individual,' he clarifies. 'I'm just trying to use terminology that will make the most sense to viewers' . 'We've had this rich endowment right under our feet… yet for years, we refused to touch it' . As Congress prepares for a new budget cycle, the presentation adds fuel to a growing conversation: Can America build the future… with what it already owns? About Jim Rickards Jim Rickards is a former advisor to the CIA, Pentagon, and U.S. Treasury. He played a key role in the Petrodollar Accord in the 1970s, has counseled the U.S. government through major financial and geopolitical events, and is the author of seven New York Times bestselling books. He now serves as a strategic analyst focused on national resilience, resource policy, and economic forecasting. Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with GlobeNewswire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Business Insider
2 hours ago
- Business Insider
Elon Musk says he's formed the 'America Party' after a July 4 poll on X showed support
Elon Musk declared on X the formation of a new political party amid his ongoing feud with President Donald Trump over the "Big Beautiful Bill." "Today, the America Party is formed to give you back your freedom," Musk wrote in an X post on Saturday afternoon. Musk's post came a day after he conducted a July 4 poll, asking X users if they want "independence" from the two-party system. About 65% of the 1.25 million participants voted "Yes." Musk, who was a staunch supporter of Trump's 2024 reelection bid, has been publicly critical of the president's "Big Beautiful Bill," a sweeping domestic policy bill that includes extensive tax cuts and could add more than $3 trillion to the national debt, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The Tesla CEO has characterized the bill on X as a form of "debt slavery." Just days after stepping away from his work at the White House DOGE Office, which was tasked with cutting spending and reducing the deficit, Musk in June called the legislation a "massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill." Musk then proposed the idea of forming a new political party that represents the "80% in the middle." Musk's repeated attacks on the bill led to a spectacular public fallout between him and the president. Trump even suggested that his office would look into possibly deporting Musk, a South African immigrant. Musk's July 4 poll on X came the same day Trump signed the bill into law. The CEO said on his social media platform that one way the new party could work is to focus on winning just a handful of Senate seats and House districts that could serve as the "deciding vote" on "contentious laws," given the "razor-thin legislative margins" in Congress. Musk and a White House spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Musk's back-and-forth regarding his involvement in political affairs has been followed by volatile times for the CEO of Tesla, his EV company. Wall Street analysts, including Tesla bull Dan Ives, have said that Musk's politics could lead the company astray if the chief executive doesn't snap back into focus. Earlier in June, Baird analysts downgraded the Tesla stock, noting that the Musk-Trump spat adds "uncertainty to TSLA's outlook.
