Watch NASA build its VIPER moon rover with these free online watch parties

Engineers in white suits assemble and test NASA's first robotic Moon rover in a clean room at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

NASA's first robotic moon rover is ready for final assembly and testing, and you can watch engineers bring the lunar explorer to life. 

The rover, called VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover), will explore the moon and collect water-ice samples from permanently shadowed areas near the lunar south pole. VIPER has an expected launch date of November 2024, and its mission team has begun final assembly and testing procedures, which NASA will broadcast live during monthly watch parties for the public to follow along in the final stages of preparing the rover for space.