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*[https://www.labroots.com/trending/space/24887/nasa-s-veritas-mission-funding-cut-delays-mission-minimum-2 NASA's VERITAS Mission has Funding Cut, Delays Mission by Minimum of Three Years] Labroots, 2023-03-16. |
*[https://www.labroots.com/trending/space/24887/nasa-s-veritas-mission-funding-cut-delays-mission-minimum-2 NASA's VERITAS Mission has Funding Cut, Delays Mission by Minimum of Three Years] Labroots, 2023-03-16. |
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*[https://www.space.com/nasa-veritas-venus-mission-budget-pressure NASA Venus mission VERITAS becomes collateral damage amid budget pressures] Space.com, 2023-03-28. |
*[https://www.space.com/nasa-veritas-venus-mission-budget-pressure NASA Venus mission VERITAS becomes collateral damage amid budget pressures] Space.com, 2023-03-28. |
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*[https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/28/23658646/nasa-venus-funding-scientist-reaction-volcano-veritas Scientists erupt at NASA gutting funding for crucial Venus mission] The Verge, 2023-03-28.</ref> |
*[https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/28/23658646/nasa-venus-funding-scientist-reaction-volcano-veritas Scientists erupt at NASA gutting funding for crucial Venus mission] The Verge, 2023-03-28.</ref> The mission's Principal Investigator [[Suzanne Smrekar]] has counterproposeda November 2029 launch date, which she argued would require only modest "bridge" funding and compared to the 2031 option would offer lower overall cost and fewer conflicts with DAVINCI and EnVision; this position obtained endorsement byaCongressional committee in October 2023.<ref name="Foust2029">{{cite web|last=Foust|first=Jeff|url=https://spacenews.com/veritas-mission-warns-of-risks-of-launch-delay/|title=VERITAS mission warns of risks of launch delay|publisher=SpaceNews|date=8 November 2023|access-date=6 January 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|number=1641078389963366401|user=jeff_foust|date=March 29, 2023|title=In a presentation at Space Science Week, Sue Smrekar says the earliest VERITAS can now launch is late 2029, which she argues is preferable over 2031 to deconflict with DAVINCI and EnVision and lower overall cost. Need "modest" bridge funding in FY23 and 24 to do so.}}</ref> |
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== Proposal history == |
== Proposal history == |
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VERITAS was one of dozens of proposals submitted in 2015 to potentially become the 13th mission of [[NASA]]’s [[Discovery Program]]. |
VERITAS was one of dozens of proposals submitted in 2015 to potentially become the 13th mission of [[NASA]]’s [[Discovery Program]]. Suzanne Smrekar of NASA's [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] (JPL) would serve as the [[principal investigator]], and JPL would be the managing agency. On 30 September 2015, VERITAS was selected as one of five finalists.<ref>{{cite web|last=Leone|first=Dan|url=https://spacenews.com/small-bodies-dominate-nasas-latest-discovery-competition/|title=Small Bodies Dominate NASA's Latest Discovery Competition|publisher=SpaceNews|date=7 July 2015|access-date=4 March 2016}}</ref> On 4 January 2017, two other proposals to study small bodies, [[Lucy (spacecraft)|''Lucy'']] and [[Psyche (spacecraft)|''Psyche'']], were selected as the 13th and 14th Discovery missions, respectively.<ref name="nasaselectslucypsyche">{{cite press release|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-two-missions-to-explore-the-early-solar-system/|title=NASA Selects Two Missions to Explore the Early Solar System|publisher=NASA|date=4 January 2017|access-date=4 January 2017}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> |
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VERITAS was again proposed for the Discovery Program in 2019, and was selected for Phase A funding on 13 February 2020.<ref>{{cite press release|last1=Brown|first1=Katherine|title=NASA Selects 4 Possible Missions to Study Secrets of the Solar System|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-four-possible-missions-to-study-the-secrets-of-the-solar-system|publisher=NASA|date=13 February 2020}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> On 2 June 2021, it was selected, along with ''[[DAVINCI+]]'', to fly as one of the next Discovery missions.<ref name="selected">{{cite press release|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-2-missions-to-study-lost-habitable-world-of-venus|title=NASA Selects 2 Missions to Study "Lost Habitable" World of Venus|publisher=NASA|date=2 June 2021|access-date=6 June 2021}} {{PD-notice}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20210602">{{cite news|last=Chang|first=Kenneth|title=New NASA Missions Will Study Venus, a World Overlooked for Decades - One of the spacecraft will probe the hellish planet's clouds, which could potentially help settle the debate over whether they are habitable by floating microbes.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/02/science/nasa-neptune-venus.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 2, 2021|access-date=June 2, 2021}}</ref> Each mission will get approximately US$500 million in funding. VERITAS was originally planned to be launched between the years 2028 and 2030.<ref name="selected"/> However, work on the mission was put on hold in November 2022, and the launch was delayed by at least three years (to no earlier than 2031), after an independent review of the ''Psyche'' mission found significant institutional issues at NASA and JPL.<ref name="Psyche_IR">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/as-psyche-mission-moves-forward-nasa-responds-to-independent-review|title=As Psyche Mission Moves Forward, NASA Responds to Independent Review|date=4 November 2022|access-date=4 November 2022|publisher=[[NASA]]}}</ref> The FY2024 budget request for VERITAS at $1.5M, released in March 2023, represented a near-complete freeze of the mission attested to be "functionally a soft cancellation".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |date=2023-03-17 |title=NASA weighing continuing VERITAS versus future Discovery mission |url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-weighing-continuing-veritas-versus-future-discovery-mission/ |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=SpaceNews |language=en-US}}</ref> |
VERITAS was again proposed for the Discovery Program in 2019, and was selected for Phase A funding on 13 February 2020.<ref>{{cite press release|last1=Brown|first1=Katherine|title=NASA Selects 4 Possible Missions to Study Secrets of the Solar System|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-four-possible-missions-to-study-the-secrets-of-the-solar-system|publisher=NASA|date=13 February 2020}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> On 2 June 2021, it was selected, along with ''[[DAVINCI+]]'', to fly as one of the next Discovery missions.<ref name="selected">{{cite press release|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-2-missions-to-study-lost-habitable-world-of-venus|title=NASA Selects 2 Missions to Study "Lost Habitable" World of Venus|publisher=NASA|date=2 June 2021|access-date=6 June 2021}} {{PD-notice}}</ref><ref name="NYT-20210602">{{cite news|last=Chang|first=Kenneth|title=New NASA Missions Will Study Venus, a World Overlooked for Decades - One of the spacecraft will probe the hellish planet's clouds, which could potentially help settle the debate over whether they are habitable by floating microbes.|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/02/science/nasa-neptune-venus.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 2, 2021|access-date=June 2, 2021}}</ref> Each mission will get approximately US$500 million in funding. VERITAS was originally planned to be launched between the years 2028 and 2030.<ref name="selected"/> However, work on the mission was put on hold in November 2022, and the launch was delayed by at least three years (to no earlier than 2031), after an independent review of the ''Psyche'' mission found significant institutional issues at NASA and JPL.<ref name="Psyche_IR">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/as-psyche-mission-moves-forward-nasa-responds-to-independent-review|title=As Psyche Mission Moves Forward, NASA Responds to Independent Review|date=4 November 2022|access-date=4 November 2022|publisher=[[NASA]]}}</ref> The FY2024 budget request for VERITAS at $1.5M, released in March 2023, represented a near-complete freeze of the mission attested to be "functionally a soft cancellation".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |date=2023-03-17 |title=NASA weighing continuing VERITAS versus future Discovery mission |url=https://spacenews.com/nasa-weighing-continuing-veritas-versus-future-discovery-mission/ |access-date=2023-03-23 |website=SpaceNews |language=en-US}}</ref> |
Mission type | Venus Orbiter |
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Operator | Jet Propulsion Laboratory / NASA |
Mission duration | 3 years (planned) |
Spacecraft properties | |
Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | No early than 2031 (official) November 2029 (proposed)[1] |
Instruments | |
Venus Emissivity Mapper (VEM) Venus Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (VISAR) Deep Space Atomic Clock-2 (DSAC-2) | |
← Psyche
DAVINCI →
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VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) is an upcoming mission from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to map the surface of the planet Venus in high resolution. The combination of topography, near-infrared spectroscopy, and radar image data will provide knowledge of Venus's tectonic and impact history, gravity, geochemistry, the timing and mechanisms of volcanic resurfacing, and the mantle processes responsible for them.
On 4 November 2022, NASA announced the postponement of the mission launch from 2027 to 2031, citing institutional problems at JPL delaying the launch of Psyche.[2] The mission's Principal Investigator Suzanne Smrekar has counterproposed a November 2029 launch date, which she argued would require only modest "bridge" funding and compared to the 2031 option would offer lower overall cost and fewer conflicts with DAVINCI and EnVision; this position obtained endorsement by a Congressional committee in October 2023.[1][3]
VERITAS was one of dozens of proposals submitted in 2015 to potentially become the 13th mission of NASA’s Discovery Program. Suzanne Smrekar of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) would serve as the principal investigator, and JPL would be the managing agency. On 30 September 2015, VERITAS was selected as one of five finalists.[4] On 4 January 2017, two other proposals to study small bodies, Lucy and Psyche, were selected as the 13th and 14th Discovery missions, respectively.[5]
VERITAS was again proposed for the Discovery Program in 2019, and was selected for Phase A funding on 13 February 2020.[6] On 2 June 2021, it was selected, along with DAVINCI+, to fly as one of the next Discovery missions.[7][8] Each mission will get approximately US$500 million in funding. VERITAS was originally planned to be launched between the years 2028 and 2030.[7] However, work on the mission was put on hold in November 2022, and the launch was delayed by at least three years (to no earlier than 2031), after an independent review of the Psyche mission found significant institutional issues at NASA and JPL.[9] The FY2024 budget request for VERITAS at $1.5M, released in March 2023, represented a near-complete freeze of the mission attested to be "functionally a soft cancellation".[10]
VERITAS will gather data to help scientists to answer three primary questions about Venus:[11]
Understanding Venus's geology is of significant scientific interest because of its similarities to Earth. Venus's size, age, and composition are all broadly similar to Earth's, but its environment is significantly different and less hospitable to life. Understanding Venus's geologic evolution therefore will help answer questions about the formation of planets hospitable to life.[11] A key step in developing an understanding of this evolution is an investigation of Venus's current geology. Current data is highly suggestive of recent and active volcanism on Venus, but the extent of this volcanic activity is not completely known.[12][13] Moreover, it is unknown to what degree surface water was historically present on Venus and what role subsurface water plays in Venus's modern geology.[11]
VERITAS will collect data to help answer these questions in several ways. High-resolution imagery will be obtained using an X-band radar configured as a single pass interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR).[14] This radar data will be coupled with a multispectral near-infrared (NIR) emissivity mapping capability. VERITAS will map surface topography with a spatial resolution of 250m and 5m vertical accuracy, and generate radar imagery with 30m spatial resolution.[15][14][16] This high-resolution imaging data will allow scientists to locate active volcanic eruptions, to understand the age and composition of features on the planet's surface, and better understand the planet's overall geology.[17] The spacecraft's communication system will also be used to perform a gravity science experiment to investigate variations in Venus' gravitational field. The spacecraft's telecom system will be used to map gravity strength at Venus' surface, providing a uniform resolution of better than 160 km.[11][18] The data will provide an estimate of Venus' core size and information about topographic features that lie underneath the planet's surface.[19][20]
VERITAS is designed to produce global, high-resolution topography and imaging of Venus' surface and produce the first maps of deformation and global surface composition, thermal emissivity, and gravity fields. Onboard the spacecraft will be two scientific instruments, the Venus Emissivity Mapper (VEM) and Venus Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (VISAR).[12][16][15][21]
In addition to these two instruments, the spacecraft will also carry the Deep Space Atomic Clock-2 as a secondary payload. The Deep Space Atomic Clock-2 is the successor to the Deep Space Atomic Clock payload flown on the STP-2 mission in June 2019, and is intended to provide highly precise timing for deep space missions.[24]
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