VIPER Prototype Readies for Lander Tests, Practices Lunar Communications

Engineers recently tested a decked-out version of a prototype Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER – the most realistic yet – seen here during checkout and preparation activities at the Planetary Analog Test Site, known as the Rock Yard, at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. VIPER is set to launch to the Moon through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative with Astrobotic of Pittsburgh.