NASA’s Viper mission

In news- NASA will launch its Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, in 2023 to get a closer view of the Moon’s South Pole and evaluate the concentration of water as well as other potential resources on its surface.

Key updates-

NASA is undertaking the mission to understand if it is possible for human life to sustain on the Moon, by using locally available resources.
The VIPER mobile robot is NASA’s first mobile robotic mission to the Moon, and the first resource mapping mission on any other celestial body.
NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) will be providing the launch vehicle and lander and it is going to be a 100-day mission.
VIPER measures 5 feet by 5 feet and weighs 430 kilograms.
VIPER will be the largest and heaviest payload delivered by a CLPS provider.
The Moon rover will directly analyse the water ice on the surface and sub-surface of the celestial body.
The VIPER will also evaluate the same at varying depths and temperatures within four main soil environments on the moon.
It will transmit the data to Earth which will then be utilised in the creation of resource maps.
It will also help scientists determine the location and concentration of frozen water on the Moon and varied forms such as ice crystals or molecules chemically bound to other materials.
VIPER’s findings will inform future landing sites under the Artemis program by helping to determine locations where water and other  resources can be harvested to sustain humans over extended stays.