The VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) mission, which has already been delayed by NASA for three years due to organizational problems, could face a new delay that would push the launch date by almost another year and a half.
The VERITAS project has been officially selected by NASA for implementation in 2021. It is being developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). As part of it, an orbiter is supposed to be sent to Venus, which will be engaged in the mapping and study of tectonic processes. It will make a detailed three-dimensional map of the surface of Venus, which will help answer the question about the nearest planet in the distant past and the possibility of its possessing an ocean.
VERITAS was originally scheduled to launch in 2028. However, in 2023 NASA announced its postponement to 2031. This decision was made because of staffing and budgetary problems at JPL and the need to correct problems encountered during the preparation of the Psyche mission.
But, although June 2031 is now specified as the launch date for VERITAS, it could be shifted again. This was reported by the principal investigator of the project Sue Smrekar. According to her, there is a possibility that NASA will want to postpone the launch to November 2032.
Such a decision would create a number of problems. One of them is that the mission includes several scientific instruments provided by the French, German and Italian space agencies. Further delays could result in these devices being delivered well before VERITAS moves into the preliminary design phase. As a result, when the time comes to integrate them into a spacecraft years later, their creators may not be available.
In addition, there is a potential conflict between VERITAS and European mission EnVision. NASA will be involved in its maintenance during the aerobraking phase. If VERITAS is launched in 2031, the spacecraft will complete its aerobraking phase near Venus and enter science orbit around the time EnVision arrives, causing little schedule conflict. However, if VERITAS is launched in late 2032, both spacecraft will arrive at Venus within weeks of each other in 2033. This will put additional strain on the aerobraking team.
According to Smrekar, the delay in launching VERITAS will also affect science. In particular, scientists will lose the ability to pre-study sites selected for landing by other missions, such as DAVINCI. There are also increased risks of losing key employees who will move on to other projects during this time.
As for the already mentioned Venus missions EnVision and DAVINCI, the first one is scheduled for launch in December 2031, the second one in December 2030. EnVision will enter orbit around Venus and will engage in radar studies of its surface and atmosphere. DAVINCI is to drop a landing probe that will chemically analyze the atmosphere and transmit images of Venus’ surface.
Provided by Spacenews
