[Reading Science] "First-ever Headlight-equipped Moon Permanently Shadowed Region Exploration"

US NASA Reveals Performance of Moon Exploration Rover to Launch at the End of 2023

Viper. Photo by NASA

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] NASA revealed the detailed capabilities of the rover 'VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover),' which will play a key role in the manned lunar exploration project 'Artemis' scheduled for 2023, attracting attention.

According to this, NASA plans to send a mobile robot (rover) in the latter half of 2023 as part of the Artemis project to explore ice and other resources on and beneath the lunar surface.

This rover, named VIPER, will be equipped with headlights for the first time ever to explore the Moon's permanently shadowed regions. These permanently shadowed regions have not been exposed to sunlight for billions of years and are among the coldest places in the solar system.

Rory Glaze, Director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, said, "The information collected from VIPER will help determine the exact location and concentration of ice on the Moon," adding, "It is for environmental and potential resource assessment to send Artemis astronauts to the lunar south pole."

VIPER is designed to explore lunar craters using special wheels and suspension systems capable of withstanding various slopes and soil types. NASA designed VIPER as a much-improved version of the Volatiles Reconnaissance Orbiter (VRO) concept, which was designed for lunar resource exploration in 2018 but later canceled.

Photo by NASA

Accordingly, VIPER's mission duration has been significantly extended to 1 to 3 lunar days (approximately 100 Earth days). It is also equipped with various scientific instruments to collect more data on the lunar surface. Specifically, VIPER carries four scientific instruments. First, a 1-meter-long hammer drill is installed to penetrate the soil and explore ice and resources. It also carries a large spectrometer to observe lunar movements, a near-infrared water vapor detector to confirm the presence of water, and a neutron spectrometer.

NASA has currently completed the manufacturing process of these scientific instruments and has entered the operation and testing phase. The funding for VIPER and its onboard equipment amounts to $433.5 million. Additionally, NASA plans to send VIPER to the lunar surface aboard a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) spacecraft, which will cost about $226.5 million more, bringing the total to $760 million (approximately 850 billion KRW).

Sarah Noble, NASA Headquarters' VIPER Program Manager, explained, "VIPER will be the most capable rover NASA has sent to the Moon, allowing us to explore parts of the Moon we have never seen before," adding, "It will prepare us to harvest resources 240,000 miles away from Earth that can be used to safely send astronauts further into space, including Mars."