NASA’s cancellation of the VIPER mission

Source: The post NASA’s cancellation of the VIPER mission has been created, based on the article “Steady but slow: India’s space programme needs more resources to realise its full potential” published in “The Hindu” on 1st October is 2024

UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper 3- Awareness in the fields of Space.

Context: The article discusses NASA’s cancellation of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission to the moon due to delays and costs. It highlights India’s opportunity to lead with its lunar missions but points out ISRO’s limited capacity to handle multiple large missions simultaneously.

For detailed information on NASA’s VIPER Missionread this article here

Why did NASA cancel the VIPER mission?

1. NASA canceled the VIPER mission in July due to delays and rising costs.
2. By this time, engineers had fully assembled the rover and completed some tests. VIPER was supposed to map water-ice in the moon’s south pole.
3. The rover was to be launched using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, with Astrobotic’s ‘Griffin’ lander, as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.

Why did this cancellation draw international attention?

1. NASA’s decision drew attention from the U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and the international community.
2. The mission’s cancellation is seen as an opportunity for China, which is advancing its lunar program.
3. VIPER was expected to strengthen the US-led ‘lunar axis’ under the Artemis Accords.

How did India respond to NASA’s cancellation?

1. India successfully landed Chandrayaan-3 on the moon on August 23, 2023, joining an elite group of countries with autonomous lunar soft-landing capabilities.
2. The Union Cabinet approved Chandrayaan-4 on September 18, 2023, a mission to return samples from the moon.
3. ISRO follows a “one major mission at a time” approach, maximizing resource efficiency but limiting its ability to handle multiple missions simultaneously.
4. ISRO is planning a “Lunar Polar Explorer” mission with Japan, which could perform tasks similar to NASA’s cancelled VIPER mission, especially exploring moon’s water-ice deposits.

Question for practice:

Discuss how NASA’s cancellation of the VIPER mission has opened opportunities for India’s lunar exploration program.