Location West of Nobile Crater Near MSP to be Site of NET 2023 VIPER Mission
93km2 area between Nobile (85.2°S, 53.5°E) and Malapert craters 137km from Moon South Pole to be site of Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission, selection based on criteria including sunlight availability, Earth visibility / communication, likelihood of finding water and navigable terrain, winnowed from 15 considered sites and 4 finalists; 100-day nominal mission expected to traverse 16-24km while utilizing TRIDENT drill and 3 sensors, launch Q4 2023 on SpaceX Falcon 9 / Astrobotic Griffin under US$199.5M CLPS contract