Washington : NASA said it’s canceling its water-seeking moon rover, citing cost overruns and launch delays.
The Viper rover was supposed to launch in late 2023 aboard a lander provided by Astrobotic Technology, but extra testing and increased costs kept delaying the mission, threatening other projects, the space agency said.
The rover had aimed to explore the moon’s South Pole. About $450 million had been spent so far on its development, NASA said.
Astrobotic still plans to fly its Griffin moon lander minus a rover by the end of next year. The company’s first moonshot ended in failure in January with a fiery plunge over the South Pacific.
