NASA just brought back from the dead a science mission to the moon involving a water-seeking rover that many believed was already being disassembled and scrapped for parts.

The U.S. space agency canceled the so-called VIPER rover , short for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, in July 2024, citing launch delays and cost overruns. VIPER, already $450 million into development, would drill for water ice at the moon's south pole. The findings would then be used to decide where astronauts would land in the future.

VIPER was originally supposed to reach the moon in 2023 on a lander built by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology , but NASA believed the commercial spacecraft needed more time for testing. That, coupled with other schedule and supply chain issues, m

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