NASA puts in an order with Blue Origin to work on sending VIPER rover to moon’s south pole

NASA puts in an order with Blue Origin to work on sending VIPER rover to moon’s south poleAn artist’s conception shows NASA’s VIPER rover and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 lander on the lunar surface. (Blue Origin Illustration)NASA has selected Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture to help it resurrect a mission to send a robotic prospector to the moon’s south polar region. Kent, Wash.-based Blue Origin will be tasked with drawing up a plan to deliver the VIPER rover to the moon in late 2027, using its uncrewed Blue Moon MK1 cargo lander. The base task for Blue Origin involves designing accommodations for the VIPER rover and demonstrating how its flight design will offload the rover to the lunar surface. Under the terms of the task order, Blue Origin would handle payload integration, planning and support, as well as post-landing deployment activities.