this decadal survey prioritisation is a wonderful leap forward for the outer solar system community.”
“The science case has only improved with time, particularly as Ice-Giant-sized worlds (or slightly smaller) appear commonplace in the pantheon of exoplanets. “It’s the culmination of 15 years of research, white papers, mission proposals, and international meetings,” said Fletcher. Planetary scientists that specialize in Uranus and the outer solar system are excited. “This allows for detailed study of the atmosphere, the gravity field and the magnetic field, as well as a several year tour of the moons.” “This larger mission can deliver an atmospheric probe, as well as get into orbit at Uranus,” said Amy Simon, senior scientist for Planetary Atmospheres Research in the Solar System Exploration Division at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and a member of the committee that prepared the report.
NASA URANUS ORBITER AND PROBE FULL
Since the Mars Sample Return mission to go collect the Perseverance rover’s rock samples is already being planned by NASA it was thought that Uranus would likely miss out on a full flagship mission, instead being commuted to a cheaper flyby mission. The missions complement each other because scientists will be able to compare the moons of Uranus-some of them thought to be ocean worlds-with Enceladus. MORE FROM FORBES The Jaw-Dropping $2.5 Billion Mission To Land On 'The Most Exciting Object In The Solar System' By null It could launch in 2038 and arrive in 2050-and cost $4.9 billion. This mission to orbit and land on Saturn’s tiny active moon-which has a an ocean underneath an icy crust-will investigate the plumes spilling into space from cracks in its icy surface. The report also says that the Enceladus Orbilander should be NASA’s second-highest priority large mission.
However, last time it Uranus was the third priority after the Perseverance rover already on Mars and Europa, which is on the cusp of launch. It’s the second Decadal Survey in a row that a mission to the “ice giant” has been recommended. ULA's Vulcan Centaur hasn't launched, Blue Origin's New Glenn has shown poor performance outside of Earth's orbit, and NASA has switched from its own SLS to SpaceX's Falcon Heavy to avoid delays.“Today we’re one step closer to seeing that ambitious orbital mission to an “ice giant” system that we’ve been working towards for so long,” said Professor Leigh Fletcher of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester, and a member of the Giant Planets panel for this survey.įletcher added that he felt “elation, relief, pride in the team that made this happen, and a little trepidation about the road ahead.” The survey's author didn't directly reference Elon Musk's SpaceX but did write, " a Uranus mission is favored because an end-to-end mission concept exists that can be implemented in the 2023-2032 decade on currently available launch vehicles."Īs outlined by Teslarati, there are only so many choices of launch vehicles available for such a mission SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur, Blue Origin's New Glenn, and NASA's Space Launch System (SLS). While the plan certainly seems like it will yield great academic value, it hedges on the development of launch vehicles capable of taking the orbiter and probe to their destination. In the published piece by the scientists, they outline that this mission could take place sometime in 2030 if engineers began the development process in 2023.
The orbiter would be used to measure and observe Uranus' exotic atmosphere, and the probe would be sent deep within the atmosphere to gather vital data from within gas giant. The mission proposed by the scientists would include sending a Uranus Orbiter and a Probe to a strange distant planet.
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