The new NASA moon rover copied the design of a Chinese Mars robot, as claimed by experts who are familiar with the two projects.
This robot has been roaming on the Red Planet for more than a year now. China was able to land Zhurong on Mars last July 2021.
While Zhurong is exploring the soil of Mars, NASA is planning to send its VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) to Earth's natural satellite.
Although their targeted heavenly bodies are different, VIPER and Zhurong both have similarities, leading experts to speculate that NASA copied China's tech.
"This is a copy of the Chinese design," said a Chinese space expert who is closely monitoring the Zhurong and VIPER projects.
He claimed that although VIPER is a four-wheeled rover (Zhurong is a six-wheeled Mars robot), it still has a suspension similar to the Chinese Mars rover.
Other researchers familiar with the works of China and NASA found that Zhurong's design, which was allegedly copied by VIPER, has not appeared on previous space missions.
NASA VIPER's Details
NASA Gov's official report provided the details of its ongoing VIPER project.
The international space agency said that they will use SpaceX's Falcon Heavy to launch its moon rover as early as 2023.
But the exact schedule hasn't been confirmed yet. Once VIPER lands on Earth's natural satellite, it will explore the heavenly body's South Pole.
If you want to learn more about the upcoming NASA VIPER, you click here.
Previously, NASA's DART mission was able to hit its targeted asteroid.
We also reported that NASA's Perseverance rover unearthed organic matter on the ancient river Delta.
For more news updates about Mars and moon rovers, keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.
Related Article : Decade-Old NASA Moon Rover Undergoes Pressurized Ground Tests; Here's What to Know About Desert RATS
This article is owned by TechTimes
Written by: Griffin Davis
