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NASA Terminates the VIPER Lunar Rover

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Citing development delays and expense overruns, NASA has canceled a robotic lunar rover project that was intended to explore for ice at the moon’s south pole.

On July 17, NASA declared that the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rove (VIPER) mission would no longer be developed. In order to gain a better understanding of the amount and type of water ice present on the moon, the rover—which was scheduled to be launched atop a commercial lander named Griffin from Astrobotic Technology—would have investigated terrain that included areas that were constantly shadowed.

Agency representatives stated at a briefing to announce the cancellation that VIPER expenses had increased by over 30%, prompting an agency review of the termination. In 2021, NASA confirmed VIPER, spending $433.5 million in the process. NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, stated that the most recent estimate was $609.6 million, with a launch anticipated in September 2025.

NASA associate administrator for science Nicky Fox stated, “In this case, the projected remaining expenses for VIPER would have resulted in either having to cancel or disrupt many other missions in our Commercial Lunar Payload Services line.” “Therefore, we have made the decision to forgo this particular mission.”

According to Kearns, VIPER experienced a number of supply chain problems that caused deliveries of important, unidentified components that date back to the pandemic to be delayed. He claimed that “the delays occurred over and over for several key components,” adding that it was more difficult for the mission to plan around a series of little delays than a single, significant one.

This made the rover’s construction more difficult. According to him, it is around the size of a compact automobile and is constructed from the inside out. “Many of the components that were delayed were actually in the inner section of VIPER, so as the components were delayed, it started forcing the VIPER team to delay the assembly and delay the integration and initial testing.”

Despite being finished, the rover is only now beginning its environmental tests. The updated budget and timeline, according to Kearns, were predicated on VIPER passing the environmental testing with flying colors. “I will tell you that in general, spacecraft development system-level environmental testing does uncover problems that do need to be corrected, which would take more time and money.”

NASA will save at least $84 million if VIPER is canceled now. If the launch of VIPER were to be delayed past November 2025, he said, it would mean having to wait nine to twelve months for the proper lighting conditions to return to the landing spot in the polar zone.

Kearns and Fox state that other missions, such orbiters and landers, will accomplish a significant amount of the science that VIPER would have undertaken.However, until NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle—a rover for crewed Artemis missions that can also be teleoperated—is deployed later this decade, the mobility that VIPER would have offered might not be available.

In order to use its instruments and other parts, NASA intends to deconstruct VIPER. But first, NASA will take into account offers from domestic businesses and foreign allies to independently fly VIPER at no expense to the federal government. NASA must receive proposals by August 1.

Griffin’s mission should be revised

Aside from its own development issues, VIPER also had to contend with delays from Griffin, the lander built by Astrobotic that was supposed to send the rover to the moon as part of a $322 million CLPS task order. Griffin is currently anticipated to be prepared for the trip, according to NASA, no earlier than September 2025.

NASA will keep the Griffin task order even with the cancellation of VIPER. Rather than using a rover, the mission will instead serve as a technological demonstrator, testing Griffin’s capacity to land heavy payloads by using a mass simulator.

According to Kearns, NASA thought about transporting science payloads instead, but the lander was made to carry a rover, therefore it lacked the accommodations and capabilities needed for payloads, including electricity and communications.

Regarding possible adjustments to accommodate payloads, he stated, “We believe that if we were to ask Astrobotic to make changes like that, it would further delay their schedule.”“It would lead to more cost for the government. It would lead to a delay of the demonstration of a successful south pole 
landing by the large Griffin lander, which we are very interested in seeing.”

It will also be open to Astrobotic to launch their own commercial payloads. In an interview, Astrobotic CEO John Thornton stated that the business is thinking of testing its LunaGrid power generation service on Griffin. “We do want to fly quickly, but we also want to make a mission that is more impactful than just the lander itself.”

He stated that even without VIPER, Griffin will still land in the moon’s south polar area, albeit possibly not at the location NASA chose for VIPER. It will rely on any additional payloads it agrees to carry with the lander; in order to lower mission risk, it may choose to land at a safer location.

Although they could not provide further details, Kearns and Thornton both stated that the agency only recently notified the corporation of the decision. According to an industry insider, NASA notified Astrobotic of the decision only one day prior to its official announcement.

He made reference to the January launch of Astrobotic’s first lunar lander, Peregrine, which was unable to attempt a lunar landing due to a fuel leak. “This has been certainly a year of tumult and challenge for Astrobotic as a company,” he added. “certainly another punch to the gut here, but we’ll roll with it.” the VIPER cancellation said.

Kearns noted the work NASA sponsored for the business to conduct further propulsion system tests and stated that NASA thought Griffin would be able to land safely on the moon with or without VIPER on board. “We do have confidence in them to go out and attempt this landing, or we wouldn’t be continuing to work with them.”

“I’m an eternal optimist. You kind of have to be in the space industry,” Thornton added. “I’m excited about what we can turn this into.”NASA terminates the lunar rover VIPER

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Researchers Achieve Breakthrough in Quantum Simulation of Electron Transfer

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A team at Rice University has achieved a significant breakthrough in simulating molecular electron transfer using a trapped-ion quantum simulator. Their research offers fresh insights into the dynamics of electron transfer and could pave the way for innovations in molecular electronics, renewable energy, and cc.

Electron transfer is a critical process underpinning numerous physical, chemical, and biological phenomena. However, the complexity of quantum interactions has long made it a challenging area to study. Conventional computational techniques often struggle to capture the full range of variables influencing electron transfer.

To address these challenges, the researchers developed a programmable quantum system capable of independently controlling key factors such as donor-acceptor energy gaps, electronic and vibronic couplings, and environmental dissipation. Using ions trapped in an ultra-high vacuum and manipulated by laser light, the team demonstrated real-time spin dynamics and measured electron transfer rates.

“This is the first time that this kind of model has been simulated on a physical device while incorporating the role of the environment and tailoring it in a controlled way,” said Guido Pagano, lead author of the study published in Science Advances.

Pagano added, “It represents a significant leap forward in our ability to use quantum simulators to investigate models and regimes relevant to chemistry and biology. By harnessing the power of quantum simulation, we hope to explore scenarios currently inaccessible to classical computational methods.”

Through precise engineering of tunable dissipation and programmable quantum systems, the researchers explored both adiabatic and nonadiabatic regimes of electron transfer. The experiment not only illuminated how quantum effects function under diverse conditions but also identified optimal parameters for electron transfer.

The team emphasized that their findings bridge a critical gap between theoretical predictions and experimental verification. By offering a tunable framework to investigate quantum processes in complex systems, their work could lead to groundbreaking advancements in renewable energy technologies, molecular electronics, and the development of novel materials.

“This experiment is a promising first step toward understanding how quantum effects influence energy transport, particularly in biological systems like photosynthetic complexes,” said Jose N. Onuchic, study co-author. “The insights gained could inspire the design of more efficient light-harvesting materials.”

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Crew Dragon Mission Delay Extends Astronauts’ Stay on ISS by a Month

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The next mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed by a month due to delays in completing a new spacecraft. This decision will extend the stay of some astronauts aboard the ISS, including two who have been there since June.

NASA announced on December 17 that the Crew-10 mission, initially scheduled for February, is now set to launch no earlier than late March. The delay stems from the need for additional time to finish the fabrication, assembly, testing, and integration of a new Crew Dragon capsule.

Crafting the New Dragon Capsule

“Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail,” said Steve Stich, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program Manager. He commended SpaceX’s efforts to expand the Dragon fleet and the flexibility of the ISS crew in accommodating the delay.

The new Crew Dragon will be the fifth in SpaceX’s lineup of crewed spacecraft, complementing its three cargo Dragon vehicles. According to Sarah Walker, SpaceX’s Dragon Mission Management Director, the spacecraft was near completion as of July and was undergoing final work at SpaceX’s California facility. It is now expected to arrive in Florida for final preparations in January.

While NASA did not specify the exact reasons for the delay, it considered other options, including using an existing Crew Dragon or making adjustments to the launch manifest, before opting for the delay. Existing capsules, including Freedom, currently at the ISS, and Endeavour and Resilience, which recently returned from other missions, were not available for a February launch.

Crew Adjustments and Extended ISS Stay

The Crew-10 mission will proceed with its planned roster: Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers from NASA, Takuya Onishi from JAXA, and Kirill Peskov from Roscosmos.

The delay has implications for the Crew-9 mission, launched in late September with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. They were joined by NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who have been on the station since June after arriving on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner.

Originally, Williams and Wilmore were scheduled to stay for just over a week, but their time on the ISS will now extend to about 10 months. NASA had earlier decided to return the uncrewed Starliner to Earth due to concerns with its thrusters.

Despite the delay, NASA emphasizes that Williams and Wilmore are not “stranded” as they can return to Earth in an emergency. Their extended stay is tied to the decision to use the new Crew Dragon for the upcoming mission, as preparing another vehicle was deemed impractical.

Looking Ahead

Assuming the Crew-10 launch proceeds in late March, the Crew-9 spacecraft is expected to return to Earth in early April after a handover period. This delay underscores the complexity of preparing new spacecraft while ensuring the safety and readiness of all missions.

As the new Crew Dragon nears completion, SpaceX and NASA remain focused on maintaining seamless operations aboard the ISS and advancing human space exploration.

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Boeing Starliner crews will have an extended stay on the ISS due to SpaceX’s delay

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NASA said on Tuesday that it has decided to postpone the launch until at least late March because SpaceX’s upcoming crew rotation mission to the ISS would utilize a new Dragon spacecraft that won’t be ready by the initial February launch date.

For the two NASA astronauts who traveled to the ISS last June on Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft, that means an even longer stay. On June 5, they took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V on the first crewed mission of Starliner. They arrived at the ISS one day later for a stay that was only expected to last eight days.

NASA decided to be cautious and maintain Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard the ISS while sending Starliner home without a crew due to issues with the spacecraft’s thrusters and helium leaks on its propulsion module.

In order for Williams and Wilmore to have a trip home, they will now be traveling on the SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom, which traveled up to the ISS and docked in September, although with only two crew members on board rather than the customary four.

When Crew-10 arrived in late February, the mission’s goal was to take a trip home.

However, NASA confirmed that Crew-10 will not fly with its replacement crew until late March. This allows NASA and SpaceX time to prepare the new Dragon spacecraft, which has not yet been given a name, for the voyage. Early January is when it is anticipated to reach Florida.

“Fabrication, assembly, testing, and final integration of a new spacecraft is a painstaking endeavor that requires great attention to detail,” stated Steve Stich, the program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew. “We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet in support of our missions and the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as we work together to complete the new capsule’s readiness for flight.”

It would be the fifth Dragon spacecraft with a crew. Its fleet of four current Dragon spacecraft has flown 15 times, sending 56 passengers to space, including two who were two-time fliers. The first crewed trip took place in May 2020. Each spacecraft’s name is chosen by the crew on its first flight.

According to NASA, teams considered using the other crew Dragon spacecraft that were available but decided that rescheduling Crew-10’s launch date was the best course of action.

JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut and mission specialist Takuya Onishi will undertake his second spaceflight, Roscosmos cosmonaut and mission specialist Kirill Peskov will make his first spaceflight, NASA astronaut and commander Anne McClain will make her second spaceflight, and NASA astronaut and pilot Nichole Ayers will become the first member of the 2021 astronaut candidate class to reach space.

Given that Crew-9 won’t be able to return home until a handover period following Crew-10’s arrival, Wilmore and Williams may have to spend nearly nine months aboard as a result of the delay.

Rotations aboard the ISS typically last six months.

It is unclear when and how Starliner will receive its final certification so that it can start trading off the regular ferry service with SpaceX, as NASA’s Commercial Crew Program aims to have two providers for U.S.-based rotation missions with SpaceX and Boeing. This is due to the Crew Flight Test mission’s incomplete launch.

According to the terms of its contract, Boeing must deliver six missions to the ISS before the space station’s service ends, which is presently scheduled for 2030.

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