NASA has chosen the future landing site for Roveri for its next lunar mission in the southern corner of the moon. A vehicle called the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover or Vipera (Vipera) will land at Nobile Crater in 2023.
The crater near the South Pole was formed during the Moon’s collision with another celestial body. This is one of the coldest regions of the celestial body, and so far it has only been observed from a distance, said Laurie Glaes, chief of NASA’s Planetary Research Division.
Experts hope Viper will confirm the presence of frozen water just under the moon’s surface.
For this, the robot will dig.
If there were water reservoirs on the Moon, it could be used to produce rocket fuel for distant celestial bodies, such as for future trips to Mars.
Viper’s mission also aims to explore where the water originally came from and how it has survived for billions of dollars.
The Vibera lunar golf cart weighs 430 kilograms and will be powered by solar energy. Unlike Mars, Vipera can be controlled directly from Earth, where the Moon is only 300,000 km away.
The Viper mission is part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon. The first crewed lunar mission is scheduled for 2024.
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