Liquid gold, plain old water has been searched over the moon by NASA. This has marked a permanent presence over there for our needs as the related studies are crucial for the learning process. Thus, for this hard time searching, NASA will be sending a rover called Viper to the South-Pole of the Moon. This mission is going on since the year 1972, which is the first long-term surface mission.
According to the plan by NASA, the VIPER i.e. Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover will be landing on the moon by December 2022. It will observe and quantize the presence of water in the permanent state in the shadowed Polar Regions. So, as a whole, a full packed robot equipped with the prospecting gear will be sent for the precise measurements and analyzations over the presence of water.
Moreover, it will look for the state of formation in those dark patchy areas. A system by NASA called the Neutron Spectrometer shall be used by the rover to detect the presence of water beneath the surface, as per a statement by NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
Rover basically will move over terrains, will do ice drills when they reach the water deposits where the pair of spectrometers will help to detect and collect the larger portions covering a bigger part. After that in sequential order, the larger amounts collected will form a bigger pattern, which shall give an accurate analyzing result. This systematization will further lead to detailed learning and understanding of the presence of that substance on the moon.
Currently, the rover is under development process. The rover will run with its power installed already and not with solar panels, which will last till a hundred days. And it is planned to launch via a Commercial Lunar Payload Services Contract.
