A mockup analog of the Griffin lander that will bring NASA’s water-hunting Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the surface of the Moon recently arrived at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Modeling the upper deck and ramps of the lander, this replica was provided by Astrobotic of Pittsburgh, the company tasked to deliver VIPER to the Moon through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS initiative. The NASA team will use a VIPER test unit with the lander mockup to practice departing off the lander. Additionally, a full-scale VIPER model will be used to demonstrate the physical integration of VIPER to the lander. The Griffin lander mockup is housed in Johnson’s Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, near the clean room where the VIPER flight vehicle is scheduled to be built in 2022 and launch to the Moon in 2023. VIPER will be the first resource-mapping mission on the surface of another celestial body and is part of NASA’s Artemis program, which includes studying the Moon like never before and sending the first woman and next man to the lunar surface. Credit: NASA/Johnson/Josh Valcarcel