 Engineering prototype of the Resource Prospector lunar rover undergoing tests | |
| Mission type | Reconnaissance, ISRU technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| Website | www |
| Mission duration | 6 - 14 days (proposed) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Lunar rover |
| Launch mass | 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) [1] |
| Landing mass | 300 kg (660 lb) |
| Dimensions | 1.4 m × 1.4 m × 2 m |
| Power | 300 watts (solar array) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2022 |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 (suggested) |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral |
| Contractor | SpaceX (suggested) |
| Moon rover | |
| Landing site | Lunar polar region |
Resource Prospector is a cancelled mission concept by NASA of a rover that would have performed a survey expedition on a polar region of the Moon. The rover was to attempt to detect and map the location of volatiles such as hydrogen, oxygen and lunar water which could foster more affordable and sustainable human exploration to the Moon, Mars, and other Solar System bodies.[2][3]
The mission concept was still in its pre-formulation stage,[2] when it was scrapped in April 2018.[4][5] The Resource Prospector mission was proposed to be launched in 2022.[4][5] Its science instruments will be flown on several commercial lander missions contracted with NASA's new Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. The VIPER rover was developed as a successor of Resource Prospector, but it was also cancelled due to cost overruns.[6]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Evaluation 2016was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Resource Prospector Advanced Exploration Systems, NASA 2017
- ^ "NASA Looking to Mine Water on the Moon and Mars". Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute of NASA. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b NASA scraps a lunar surface mission — just as it's supposed to focus on a Moon return Loren Grush, The Verge April 27, 2018
- ^ a b New NASA leader faces an early test on his commitment to Moon landings Eric Berger, ARS Technica 27 April 2018
- ^ "NASA Ends VIPER Project, Continues Moon Exploration - NASA". Retrieved 2024-07-17.
