![]() ![]() Nevertheless, again due to cost and logistical considerations including launch vehicle availability and available launch windows, the 2023–2032 Planetary Science Decadal Survey recommended the Uranus Orbiter and Probe instead of an analogous proposal for Neptune, Neptune Odyssey. There was also a study that considered a New Frontiers-level Uranus orbiter mission concept if a Flagship-class mission to Neptune were favored. A mission to Neptune is viewed by some to be of greater scientific merit because Triton, likely a captured Kuiper belt object and ocean world, is a more compelling astrobiology target than the moons of Uranus (though Ariel and Miranda in particular are possible ocean worlds). In 2017, prior to the 2023–2032 survey, a committee narrowed twenty mission concepts to three scenarios for Uranus and a fourth for Neptune. A Uranus orbiter would logically follow Flagship-class orbiter missions undertaken at Jupiter and Saturn ( Galileo and Cassini, respectively). The ice giants Uranus and Neptune were seen as unique yet equally compelling scientific targets, but a Uranus orbiter and atmospheric probe was given preference for logistical and cost reasons. Ice giants are now appreciated as a common type of exoplanet, precipitating the need for further study of ice giants in the Solar System. The 2011-2022 Planetary Science Decadal Survey recommended a Flagship-class orbiter mission to an ice giant with priority behind what would become the Mars 2020 rover and the Europa Clipper. Voyager 2 is the only space probe to have visited the Uranus system, completing a flyby on January 24, 1986. Background įurther information: Exploration of Uranus In 2023, however, NASA announced that due to a shortfall in plutonium production a mid to late 2030s launch would be more likely. The original proposal targeted a launch in 2031 using a Falcon Heavy expendable launch vehicle with a gravity assist at Jupiter, allowing arrival at Uranus in 2044. Ī Neptune orbiter mission concept, Neptune Odyssey, that would address many of the same scientific goals regarding ice giants was also considered, but for logistical and cost reasons a mission to Uranus was favored. The mission concept was selected as the highest priority Flagship-class mission by the 2023–2032 Planetary Science Decadal Survey, ahead of the Enceladus Orbilander. The science phase would last 4.5 years and include multiple flybys of each of the major moons. ![]() The concept is being developed as a potential large strategic science mission for NASA. The orbiter would also deploy an atmospheric probe to characterize Uranus's atmosphere. The Uranus Orbiter and Probe is an orbiter mission concept to study Uranus and its moons. ![]()
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