{"id":779607,"date":"2024-03-26T20:05:53","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T01:05:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=779607"},"modified":"2024-03-26T20:05:53","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T01:05:53","slug":"nasas-veritas-mission-breathes-new-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=779607","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s VERITAS Mission Breathes New Life"},"content":{"rendered":"


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In a win for planetary scientists, and planetary geologists in particular, it was announced at the recent 55th<\/sup> Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC)<\/em> in Texas earlier this month that NASA\u2019s VERITAS mission to the planet Venus has been reinstated into NASA\u2019s Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget with a scheduled launch date of 2031, with the unofficial announcement coming on the first day of the conference, March 11, 2024, and being officially announced just a few days later. This comes after VERITAS experienced a \u201csoft cancellation\u201d in March of last year when NASA revealed its FY24 budget, providing VERITAS only $1.5 million, which was preceded by the launch of VERITAS being delayed a minimum of three years due to findings from an independent review board in November 2022.<\/p>\n

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VERITAS is back in the budget!! ??? The project will get going full swing this fall (FY25). We\u2019re looking at a 31 launch (TBC). Thanks to everyone who\u2019s supported our return to Venus!! It\u2019s going to be fabulous ?<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sue Smrekar (@SueSmrekar) March 11, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>

Dr. Sue Smrekar, who is the Principal Investigator for the VERITAS mission, announcing during LPSC 2024 that VERITAS has been reinstated.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here, Universe Today<\/em> speaks with Dr. Paul Byrne, who is an Associate Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, and a huge proponent of exploring Venus, about his thoughts on VERITAS being reinstated, the alleged events that led to VERITAS\u2019 reinstatement, his experience between VERITAS being postponed to now, and his thoughts on what science VERITAS hopes to accomplish at Venus. So, what are his thoughts on VERITAS being reinstated?<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst and foremost, it\u2019s relief,\u201d Dr. Byrne tells Universe Today<\/em>. \u201cAlthough VERITAS wasn\u2019t cancelled per se, we in the planetary community weren\u2019t sure if or where VERITAS would be reinstated. Although it\u2019s disappointing to have a selected mission be delayed, it\u2019s a very positive sign that VERITAS is back in the budget. Of course, there\u2019s a flip side to this development: the mission\u2019s stablemate, DAVINCI, has\u00a0itself been delayed. It\u2019s clear that the prevailing budget situation at NASA is very tough right now, and lots of missions are feeling it. Unfortunately, with two Venus missions in the pipeline, the Venus community is feeling this budget toughness most acutely.\u201d<\/p>\n

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