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July 19 (UPI) -- NASA is delaying a major moon mission as it continues testing the spacecraft that will deliver a rover to the lunar surface in search of water, ice and other potential resources, the agency announced Tuesday. The launch of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, has been pushed back to November 2024, from its originally planned launch day of November 2023.
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The yearlong delay will allow for additional testing of the Griffin lunar lander -- built by Astrobotic of Pittsburgh -- to mitigate any risks as the rover is delivered to the moon's surface.
NASA's deal with Astrobotic was reached through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which allows contracts with American companies "for payloads that advance capabilities for science, exploration or commercial development of the Moon," the agency said.
Since its inception, the CLPS has awarded seven contracts to private U.S. companies for lunar deliveries, with more missions on the horizon through 2028, NASA said.
The VIPER rover's findings could pave the way for future missions by humans.
"The measurements returned by VIPER will provide insight into the origin and distribution of water on the Moon and help determine how the Moon's resources could be harvested for future human space exploration," NASA said.
The price tag of the mission has grown from $199.5 million to $320.4 million, with NASA putting up an additional $67.8 million for the additional tests to the lander.
An April audit of the mission by NASA's Office of Inspector General noted that NASA is closely managing the build of the lander, and that representatives from both the agency and Astrobotic were in face-to-face meetings at least three times per week.
The audit also found that NASA awarded the contract for the rover before the design of the craft was finalized, leading to cost increases.
Some of the same instruments on the VIPER will be used during other commercial moon landings planned for later this year.
