KATHMANDU: NASA has decided to cancel its water-seeking moon rover, Viper, due to cost overruns and launch delays. Originally scheduled to launch in late 2023 aboard a lander provided by Astrobotic Technology, the mission faced prolonged testing and increased expenses, leading to the decision. NASA expressed concerns that these delays were impacting other projects within the agency.

Viper was designed to explore the moon's south pole and had already seen approximately $450 million spent on its development. Despite its cancellation, NASA plans to continue studying the presence of lunar ice through alternative projects.

Meanwhile, Astrobotic intends to proceed with its Griffin moon lander mission by the end of next year, albeit without the rover component. This follows a previous unsuccessful attempt in January, when their initial moonshot ended in failure over the South Pacific.