Moon VIPER NASA (Volatiles Investigating the Polar Exploration Rover) has successfully completed acoustic testing, despite the agency announcing the mission’s end just a week ago due to rising costs. The project’s cost has increased by more than 30 percent, surpassing the initial $250 million and now standing at $609.6 million. But the decision on VIPER’s fate lies with Congress, and NASA hopes the mission will continue.

VIPER was introduced by then-NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine at the 2019 International Astronomical Congress. The lunar South Pole landing was initially planned for 2023, but was postponed to 2024 and then to September 2025. The cost of the project increased during this time.

NASA has already spent $450 million on VIPER, and if the September 2025 landing date remains unchanged, canceling the mission would generate only $84 million in revenue. But there is a risk of further delays and cost increases due to technical issues or delays in the lander that will carry VIPER to the Moon, according to NASA Deputy Administrator Joel Kearns.

The lander is being developed as part of a public-private partnership with Astrobotic as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. However, Astrobotic’s first CLPS mission this year failed to reach the moon and the company is currently determining necessary modifications to the lander.

VIPER project scientist Anthony Colaprete said VIPER has passed two tests, vibration and acoustic, and will soon begin thermal tests in vacuum. Thermal testing will begin on August 21, and Colapret does not expect any surprises.

At the same time, NASA is faced with another problem: the module that will deliver VIPER to the lunar South Pole is not yet ready. Cairns said the earliest possible date for the lander to be ready is September 2025, and Astrobotic has a lot of work to do before then. If the date goes any further, the VIPER mission will be delayed and the cost of the mission will increase even more.

Colapret offered to put the rover in storage and assemble a crew of the necessary people for a fraction of the cost if the mission is canceled. He added that NASA already has more than 20 serious offers from companies and international partners that could take over the mission at no additional cost to the U.S. government.

Clive Neal, a planetary geologist at the University of Notre Dame, urged NASA to continue the testing program because a fully tested rover would be more attractive to potential partners. NASA’s Lunar Exploration Analysis Group will hold a general meeting at the conference to discuss the issue further.