New Delhi, September 23: Blue Origin, the space company founded by Jeff Bezos, has secured a contract from NASA to deliver a lunar rover to the Moon. The mission is aimed to support NASA’s goal of studying and exploring the Moon in greater detail. As part of the mission, Blue Origin will be responsible for transporting the VIPER rover to the Moon’s South Pole, which can be seen as a key step in future lunar exploration.

NASA, in a press release, has announced that it has chosen Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, a CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) to transport the VIPER rover to the Moon’s South Pole region. It is the second CLPS lunar delivery awarded to Blue Origin. NASA had previously cancelled the VIPER project and has since pursued other methods to meet its objectives, which include mapping potential extraterrestrial resources such as water. SpaceX Successfully Launches 11th Batch of NROL-48 Reconnaissance Satellites for US Government’s National Reconnaissance Office.

As per NASA, the VIPER rover will study the harsh conditions of the Moon’s South Pole region, venturing into small, permanently shadowed areas to provide insights for future astronaut landing sites and will help to understand the lunar environment more closely. The US space agency said, "NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) will search for volatile resources, such as ice, on the lunar surface and collect science data to support future exploration at the Moon and Mars."

Blue Origin is set to deliver the VIPER rover to the Moon in late 2027 using a second Blue Moon MK1 lander, which is currently under production. The contract, called as CS-7, includes designing payload-specific accommodations and demonstrating how Blue Origin’s flight system will safely deploy the rover onto the lunar surface. Elon Musk Congratulates SpaceX Team for Achieving 88.5% of All Global Satellite Launches in Q2 2025.

NASA noted, "Blue Origin is responsible for the complete landing mission architecture and will conduct design, analysis, and testing of a large lunar lander capable of safely delivering the lunar volatiles science rover to the Moon." The company will also oversee payload integration, mission planning, support, and post-landing deployment activities of the rover. NASA will be responsible for operating the rover and planning the scientific activities.

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