Blue Origin has secured a $190 million NASA contract to deliver the VIPER lunar rover to the moon, marking a major boost for the company’s Blue Moon lander program and a revival of NASA’s shelved rover mission.
VIPER, short for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, will ride to the lunar surface aboard Blue Origin’s uncrewed Blue Moon Mk1 lander, with the mission scheduled for late 2027. The rover will target the lunar south pole, an area thought to contain large reserves of water ice. VIPER’s instruments, including a drill and three spectrometers, will prospect for hydrogen, minerals, and water resources critical for future long-term lunar exploration.
The contract is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. It follows a rocky history for VIPER: initially awarded to Astrobotic in 2020 for $199.5 million, the rover’s mission was canceled in July 2024 due to mounting delays and costs, despite much of the hardware already being built. The decision drew heavy criticism, prompting NASA to seek alternative ways to use the rover without escalating costs.
For Blue Origin, the win is significant. It provides the Blue Moon Mk1 its first flagship scientific payload and sets a firm schedule, while also marking NASA’s second major endorsement of the company’s lunar ambitions, following its Human Landing System contract under Artemis.
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About the size of a golf cart, VIPER is designed for a 100-day mission. By mapping water ice deposits, the rover’s results could pave the way for extracting essential resources directly from the moon, including water, oxygen, and even rocket fuel, instead of hauling them from Earth.
