National Aeronautics and Space Administration has announced plans to send its first mobile robot Volats Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the moon by 2023. This is part of the Artemis project.
Main Objective:
Its main purpose is to explore and map land resources on the lunar surface and especially water-ice.
*The rover will explore lunar resources in the permanently shadowed areas of the South Pole of the Moon to indicate water ice distribution and concentration.
*The mission is based on a previously canceled NASA rover concept.
*The rover will be flown via NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative through the astrophotic company’s Griffin Lander.
*The rover is solar-powered and carries four instruments.
1.Recolith and Ice Drill (TRIDENT) hammer drill to explore new landscapes.
2.Lunar Functions (MSolo) instrument for mass spectrometer observation.
3.Nearby Infrared Vapor Spectrometer System (NIRVSS).
4.Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS).