This decision, driven by budget uncertainties, comes despite the mission successfully passing key design reviews.
Worryingly, the space agency is delaying formal confirmation of the mission until a budget review in mid-2024.
Given the delay, Dragonfly wont land on Titan any earlier than 2035.
Artistic conception of Dragonfly.Image: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben
The delay of the mission is due to uncertain and changing funding for NASAs planetary science division.
Asreportedin Space Policy Online, she highlighted the difficulty of confirming missions without a clear budget outlook.
How do we confirm a mission if we dont quite know what the budget horizon looks like?
Glaze said, emphasizing the need for an executable budget profile for Dragonfly.
As the missions costs rise, chatter is emerging about possibly reclassifying Dragonfly as a flagship mission (i.e.
Mission confirmation is typically granted at this stage, so this is a bit upsetting and worrisome.
Indeed, it would be a real shame if this mission isnt allowed to proceed.
Dragonfly, designed as a dual-quadcopter, presents an exciting chance to investigate Titans unique environment.
Dragonfly is not the only NASA mission to be hindered by budget constraints.
These developments highlight the impact of budgetary limitations on NASAs ambitious space exploration projects.
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