Animation of NASAs Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) on the surface of the Moon. Credit: NASA Ames/Daniel Rutter
NASA will host a media teleconference Monday, September 20, at 4 p.m. EDT, to announce the lunar landing site for the companys Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER). The rover will be delivered to the Moons surface area in late 2023 under the Artemis program and part of the companys Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.
VIPER is the first resource-mapping objective on the surface area of another celestial body. While on the Moon, VIPER will get a close-up view of the place and concentration of ice and other resources, helping in the development of science and human expedition as part of Artemis objectives.
Researchers and objective operators will utilize near real-time Earth-to-Moon communications and work together to drive the rover along an unexplored region of the Moons South Pole.
By NASA
September 18, 2021
Illustration of NASAs Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) on the surface of the Moon. Credit: NASA Ames/Daniel Rutter
Audio of the teleconference will stream live online at:
https://www.nasa.gov/live
Instruction participants are:
Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division, NASA Headquarters
Daniel Andrews, VIPER task supervisor, NASAs Ames Research Center
Anthony Colaprete, VIPER lead job researcher, Ames
Darlene Lim, VIPER deputy lead job scientist, Ames
Darryl Gaines, deputy manager, NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services, NASAs Johnson Space Center