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Planetary Missions Program Office
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<h2 id="history">History</h2> <p>The Planetary Missions Program Office was established in late 2014 as part of a series of changes implemented by NASA after the passage of the <a href="/facts/Commerce%2c_Justice%2c_Science%2c_and_Related_Agencies_Appropriations_Act%2c_2015/PD3R9qeo">Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015</a>, which allocated <a href="/facts/United_States_dollar/naEEDUhC">US$</a>1.438 billion to planetary missions, and the <a href="/facts/Presidency_of_Barack_Obama/Fx03UXVV">Obama administration</a>'s request for the <a href="/facts/2016_United_States_federal_budget/128Va5ut">2016 United States federal budget</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a> The program office is a replacement for the Discovery and New Frontiers Program Office, established in 2004,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> and occupies their former headquarters at the <a href="/facts/Marshall_Space_Flight_Center/Q5XqseqT">Marshall Space Flight Center</a> in <a href="/facts/Huntsville%2c_Alabama/Rdu00gpd">Huntsville</a>, Alabama.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> The Planetary Missions Program Office took control of the <a href="/facts/Discovery_program/fyVvN4KK">Discovery</a> and <a href="/facts/New_Frontiers_program/QV1qnRAH">New Frontiers program</a>, along with the <a href="/facts/Europa_Clipper/LuaX203A">Europa Mission</a> and NASA contributions to the <a href="/facts/European_Space_Agency/L8YRNV0C">European Space Agency</a> (ESA)'s <i><a href="/facts/Jupiter_Icy_Moons_Explorer/XcRkV5uS">JUICE</a></i> mission, in a then-unnamed program outside of Discovery and New Frontiers.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a> In 2017, the program was named the "Solar System Exploration Program",<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> and grew to include NASA's surviving <i><a href="/facts/Double_Asteroid_Redirection_Test/WgDRAuqE">DART</a></i> component of the cancelled <i><a href="/facts/AIDA_(mission)/o1jh6eJw">AIDA</a></i> mission, after ESA terminated their contribution to the mission in late 2016.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="programs">Programs</h2> <h3>Discovery</h3> <p class="note">Main article: <a href="/facts/Discovery_Program/fyVvN4KK">Discovery Program</a></p> <p>The Discovery program was established in late 1990 as a program of low-cost, limited-scope <a href="/facts/Space_probe/AeWRBITP">Solar System exploration</a> missions, succeeding the objectives of the <a href="/facts/Planetary_Observer_program/FJDCuRdf">Planetary Observer program</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a> In the late 1980s, leaders at NASA opted towards expensive, more ambitious missions to advance their objectives. This included the <a href="/facts/Space_Exploration_Initiative/3tEAV501">Space Exploration Initiative</a> by the <a href="/facts/Presidency_of_George_H._W._Bush/uUg8DNM9">George H. W. Bush administration</a>, which laid out a plan to construct <a href="/facts/Space_Station_Freedom/yj2tCwV1">Space Station Freedom</a> and establish a human exploration program to the Moon and <a href="/facts/Mars/AQGtVvz0">Mars</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a> Consistent cost overruns and lack of support from the United States Congress, however, created a trend towards smaller, less ambitious missions.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12"><sup>12</sup></a> NASA's Solar System Exploration Division (SSED) initially proposed to model a new program of small-class unmanned missions after the Planetary Observer program, though members were skeptical, due to the budget problems plaguing the Planetary Observer program at the time.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13"><sup>13</sup></a> It was decided instead to base it on the <a href="/facts/Explorer_program/UAWJXqxP">Explorer program</a>, following advice from Explorer administrative staffer <a href="/facts/Stamatios_Krimigis/7ngHtEjl">Tom Krimigis</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14"><sup>14</sup></a> Under this model, the program gained support from then-<a href="/facts/List_of_Administrators_and_Deputy_Administrators_of_NASA/IltN5emr">NASA Administrator</a> <a href="/facts/Daniel_Goldin/h0JVx9RC">Daniel S. Goldin</a>, and the program was formally approved by Congress in 1992.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15"><sup>15</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16"><sup>16</sup></a> </p> <p>Originally a Planetary Observer program mission, <i><a href="/facts/NEAR_Shoemaker/1Wblm4KL">NEAR Shoemaker</a></i> was reassigned to the Discovery program, after the <a href="/facts/Jet_Propulsion_Laboratory/zPXnxRBf">Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a> and the <a href="/facts/Applied_Physics_Laboratory/PN4H87V9">Applied Physics Laboratory</a> found that the mission was possible to execute on a budget smaller than originally planned.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17"><sup>17</sup></a> Its final mission cost would reach US$224 million.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18"><sup>18</sup></a> <i><a href="/facts/Mars_Pathfinder/frq9TKut">Mars Pathfinder</a></i> was also reassigned to the program as part of cuts to the Space Exploration Initiative <a href="/facts/Mars_Environmental_Survey/EE7nGTDr">Mars Environmental Survey</a> (MESUR) program, following the loss of its flagship <i><a href="/facts/Mars_Observer/eyPL7Hgt">Mars Observer</a></i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19"><sup>19</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:20" href="#fn:20"><sup>20</sup></a> Both <i>NEAR Shoemaker</i> and <i>Mars Pathfinder</i> were successfully launched in February and December 1996 respectively;<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:21" href="#fn:21"><sup>21</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:22" href="#fn:22"><sup>22</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:23" href="#fn:23"><sup>23</sup></a> the former achieved orbit around the asteroid <a href="/facts/433_Eros/QWmGbK63">433 Eros</a> in February 2000,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:24" href="#fn:24"><sup>24</sup></a> and the latter landed on Mars and delivered the first operational <a href="/facts/Mars_rover/6ueforXf">Mars rover</a>, <i><a href="/facts/Sojourner_(rover)/4aN9KJHz">Sojourner</a></i>, to the surface of the planet in July 1997.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:25" href="#fn:25"><sup>25</sup></a> After <i>NEAR Shoemaker</i> and <i>Mars Pathfinder</i>, the Discovery program began selecting its future missions from proposals from third-party institutions, in competitions named "Announcements of Opportunity" (AOs).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:26" href="#fn:26"><sup>26</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:27" href="#fn:27"><sup>27</sup></a> Twelve missions have been selected through AOs, with the latest, reconnaissance missions <i><a href="/facts/Lucy_(spacecraft)/qkg6fHA1">Lucy</a></i> and <i><a href="/facts/Psyche_(spacecraft)/BvTWfBRG">Psyche</a></i>, selected in January 2017 after a <a href="/facts/Selection_of_Discovery_Mission_13_and_14/p9lMwRGc">three-year long competition</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:28" href="#fn:28"><sup>28</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:29" href="#fn:29"><sup>29</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:30" href="#fn:30"><sup>30</sup></a> The Discovery program also presides over "Missions of Opportunity" (MOs) to develop instruments for non-NASA missions, such as the <a href="/facts/Mars_Express/wM1scUfh">ASPERA-3 instrument</a> onboard <a href="/facts/European_Space_Agency/L8YRNV0C">ESA</a>'s <i><a href="/facts/Mars_Express/wM1scUfh">Mars Express</a></i> and the <a href="/facts/Moon_Mineralogy_Mapper/carubNBx">M3</a> instrument aboard <a href="/facts/Indian_Space_Research_Organisation/CdAoFQTL">ISRO</a>'s <i><a href="/facts/Chandrayaan-1/IqP3zwxy">Chandrayaan-1</a></i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:31" href="#fn:31"><sup>31</sup></a> MOs were originally selected in competitions alongside AOs,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:32" href="#fn:32"><sup>32</sup></a> though have been selected in "Stand Alone Mission of Opportunity Notices" (SALMONs) since 2009.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:33" href="#fn:33"><sup>33</sup></a> SALMON-3 is currently underway to select NASA's contribution to <a href="/facts/JAXA/ofUpflgf">JAXA</a>'s <i><a href="/facts/Martian_Moons_Exploration/1l8xsnsz">Martian Moons Exploration</a></i> mission.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:34" href="#fn:34"><sup>34</sup></a> </p><p>Missions </p> <ul><li><i><a href="/facts/NEAR_Shoemaker/1Wblm4KL">NEAR Shoemaker</a></i> – launched 1996, completed – flyby and orbital reconnaissance of <a href="/facts/253_Mathilde/n22zBKAs">253 Mathilde</a> and <a href="/facts/433_Eros/QWmGbK63">433 Eros</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:35" href="#fn:35"><sup>35</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Mars_Pathfinder/frq9TKut">Mars Pathfinder</a></i> – launched 1996, completed – <a href="/facts/Atmospheric_entry/p7TMk9sa">EDL</a> and rover technology demonstration on <a href="/facts/Mars/AQGtVvz0">Mars</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:36" href="#fn:36"><sup>36</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Lunar_Prospector/fQKUfeWF">Lunar Prospector</a></i> – launched 1998, completed – surface composition, gravity, and magnetic field study of <a href="/facts/The_Moon/zKHqEMPb">the Moon</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:37" href="#fn:37"><sup>37</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Stardust_(spacecraft)/bEcy98J3">Stardust</a></i> – launched 1999, completed – sample return from the coma of <a href="/facts/81P%2fWild/oJjUaSrj">Wild 2</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:38" href="#fn:38"><sup>38</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Genesis_(spacecraft)/SyjrlcxI">Genesis</a></i> – launched 2001, completed – sample return collecting <a href="/facts/Solar_wind/BvuB3dT8">solar wind</a> particles. Sample return capsule crashed on impact.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:39" href="#fn:39"><sup>39</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/CONTOUR/rHASGy7h">CONTOUR</a></i> – launched 2002, failed – flyby reconnaissance of three comets; failed on launch.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:40" href="#fn:40"><sup>40</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:41" href="#fn:41"><sup>41</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/MESSENGER/EFJEPNxR">MESSENGER</a></i> – launched 2004, completed – orbital reconnaissance of <a href="/facts/Mercury_(planet)/lVa1GIyX">Mercury</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:42" href="#fn:42"><sup>42</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Deep_Impact_(spacecraft)/mTRQtdQa">Deep Impact</a></i> – launched 2005, completed – impact-flyby reconnaissance of <a href="/facts/Tempel_1/e0PnhUdh">Tempel 1</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:43" href="#fn:43"><sup>43</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Dawn_(spacecraft)/z4JeyNQB">Dawn</a></i> – launched 2005, completed – orbital reconnaissance of <a href="/facts/4_Vesta/xnQ8acw1">4 Vesta</a> and <a href="/facts/Ceres_(dwarf_planet)/yIVEMYtG">1 Ceres</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:44" href="#fn:44"><sup>44</sup></a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Kepler_space_telescope/E485cUts">Kepler space telescope</a> – launched 2009, completed – discovery and observation of new <a href="/facts/Exoplanet/zjfmqfUf">exoplanets</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:45" href="#fn:45"><sup>45</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Gravity_Recovery_and_Interior_Laboratory/1mADQk2x">GRAIL</a></i> – launched 2011, completed – gravitational field study of the Moon.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:46" href="#fn:46"><sup>46</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/InSight/tFjy03P6">InSight</a></i> – launched 2018, completed – seismology and geology study of planet Mars.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:47" href="#fn:47"><sup>47</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Lucy_(spacecraft)/qkg6fHA1">Lucy</a></i> – launched 2021, operational – flyby reconnaissance of one main belt asteroid and six <a href="/facts/Jupiter_trojan/KN9dgpUr">Jupiter trojans</a>, including a binary system.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:48" href="#fn:48"><sup>48</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:49" href="#fn:49"><sup>49</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Psyche_(spacecraft)/BvTWfBRG">Psyche</a></i> – launched 2023, future – orbital reconnaissance of <a href="/facts/16_Psyche/R6o5Evzu">16 Psyche</a> launched October 13, 2023.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:50" href="#fn:50"><sup>50</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:51" href="#fn:51"><sup>51</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/DAVINCI/obTW37wk">DAVINCI</a></i> – launching 2029, future – Venus atmospheric probe.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:52" href="#fn:52"><sup>52</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/VERITAS_(spacecraft)/dMqsaMPR">VERITAS</a></i> – launching 2031, future – orbital reconnaissance of Venus.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:53" href="#fn:53"><sup>53</sup></a></li></ul> <h3>New Frontiers</h3> <p class="note">Main article: <a href="/facts/New_Frontiers_program/QV1qnRAH">New Frontiers program</a></p> <p>The New Frontiers program is the successor to the cancelled Outer Planet/Solar Probe (OPSP) program, a project which aimed to launch the <i><a href="/facts/Europa_Orbiter/BM0Qgbne">Europa Orbiter</a></i> astrobiology mission, the <i><a href="/facts/Pluto_Kuiper_Express/a5JdaxK6">Pluto Kuiper Express</a></i> reconnaissance mission, and the <i>Solar Orbiter</i> heliophysics mission.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:54" href="#fn:54"><sup>54</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:55" href="#fn:55"><sup>55</sup></a> To reduce the growing costs of the OPSP, the <i>Pluto Kuiper Express</i> was cancelled in 2000 by then-<a href="/facts/Science_Mission_Directorate/uNhAcYLb">Science Mission Directorate</a> <a href="/facts/Edward_J._Weiler/ypu6NAgW">Edward J. Weiler</a>, who subsequently accepted proposals for a replacement mission and modelled the competition after the Discovery program's AOs.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:56" href="#fn:56"><sup>56</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:57" href="#fn:57"><sup>57</sup></a> The <i><a href="/facts/New_Horizons/G5XTU5DK">New Horizons</a></i> mission was chosen to replace <i>Pluto Kuiper Express</i> in the OPSP program in November 2001,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:58" href="#fn:58"><sup>58</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:59" href="#fn:59"><sup>59</sup></a> though the entire program, including the <i>Europa Orbiter</i>, <i>New Horizons</i>, and <i>Solar Probe</i>, was cancelled by <a href="/facts/List_of_Administrators_and_Deputy_Administrators_of_NASA/IltN5emr">Administrator of NASA</a> <a href="/facts/Sean_O%2527Keefe/eImVef88">Sean O'Keefe</a> in February 2002, shortly after his appointment by President <a href="/facts/George_W._Bush/mYSgM515">George W. Bush</a>. O'Keefe cited a need for a restructuring of NASA and its projects, falling in line with the Bush Administration's wish for NASA to refocus on "research and development, and addressing management shortcomings."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:60" href="#fn:60"><sup>60</sup></a> </p><p>The <i>New Horizons</i> team successfully lobbied for the funding and development of their mission, appearing at the top of the <a href="/facts/National_Academies_of_Sciences%2c_Engineering%2c_and_Medicine/AdYmBBGV">National Research Council</a>'s <a href="/facts/Planetary_Science_Decadal_Survey/d6Aax8y0">Planetary Science Decadal Survey</a> for 2003–2013.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:61" href="#fn:61"><sup>61</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:62" href="#fn:62"><sup>62</sup></a> Weiler and then-Solar System Exploration Division Director <a href="/facts/Colleen_Hartman/1jlGrPgF">Colleen Hartman</a> established the New Frontiers program in 2003 to help fund and launch <i>New Horizons</i> and future proposals from the Decadal Survey.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:63" href="#fn:63"><sup>63</sup></a> <i>New Horizons</i> was launched as the program's first mission on January 20, 2006,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:64" href="#fn:64"><sup>64</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:65" href="#fn:65"><sup>65</sup></a> and successfully performed the first reconnaissance of <a href="/facts/Pluto/egq7MBeR">Pluto</a> and <a href="/facts/Moons_of_Pluto/g89834mJ">its moons</a> in July 2015.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:66" href="#fn:66"><sup>66</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:67" href="#fn:67"><sup>67</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:68" href="#fn:68"><sup>68</sup></a> An extended mission is underway to observe Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs), including a flyby of <a href="/facts/486958_Arrokoth/7HQPCVNA">486958 Arrokoth</a> in January 2019.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:69" href="#fn:69"><sup>69</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:70" href="#fn:70"><sup>70</sup></a> In the first New Frontiers AO, <i><a href="/facts/Juno_(spacecraft)/UzlYPApe">Juno</a></i>, a mission to investigate the interior of <a href="/facts/Jupiter/95m7XjMT">Jupiter</a>, was selected over the <i><a href="/facts/MoonRise/5XMRAQup">MoonRise</a></i> lunar sample return mission.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:71" href="#fn:71"><sup>71</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:72" href="#fn:72"><sup>72</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:73" href="#fn:73"><sup>73</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:74" href="#fn:74"><sup>74</sup></a> <i>Juno</i> launched on August 5, 2011, and arrived at Jupiter in July 2016.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:75" href="#fn:75"><sup>75</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:76" href="#fn:76"><sup>76</sup></a> In May 2011, the <i><a href="/facts/OSIRIS-REx/CVNn3Xp5">OSIRIS-REx</a></i> asteroid sample return mission was selected over <i>MoonRise</i> and <i><a href="/facts/Venus_In_Situ_Atmospheric_and_Geochemical_Explorer/jdyzgLmV">SAGE</a></i> for the program's third mission.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:77" href="#fn:77"><sup>77</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:78" href="#fn:78"><sup>78</sup></a> <i>OSIRIS-REx</i> launched on September 8, 2016, and will arrive at the <a href="/facts/Near-Earth_object/UwnPRnSN">Near-Earth object</a> (NEO) <a href="/facts/101955_Bennu/ae1ebNGR">101955 Bennu</a> in August 2018.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:79" href="#fn:79"><sup>79</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:80" href="#fn:80"><sup>80</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:81" href="#fn:81"><sup>81</sup></a> The program's fourth mission is <i><a href="/facts/Dragonfly_(Titan_space_probe)/D753heTr">Dragonfly</a></i>, which will launch in 2028 and arrive on <a href="/facts/Titan_(moon)/lg0l9PCH">Titan</a> in the mid-2030s.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:82" href="#fn:82"><sup>82</sup></a> </p><p>Missions </p> <ul><li><i><a href="/facts/New_Horizons/G5XTU5DK">New Horizons</a></i>, launched 2006, operational – flyby reconnaissance of <a href="/facts/Pluto/egq7MBeR">Pluto</a> and <a href="/facts/Kuiper_belt/IvLzYp5P">Kuiper belt objects</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:83" href="#fn:83"><sup>83</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Juno_(spacecraft)/UzlYPApe">Juno</a></i>, launched 2011, operational – interior and magnetosphere study of <a href="/facts/Jupiter/95m7XjMT">Jupiter</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:84" href="#fn:84"><sup>84</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:85" href="#fn:85"><sup>85</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/OSIRIS-REx/CVNn3Xp5">OSIRIS-REx</a></i>, launched 2016, operational – orbital reconnaissance and sample return from <a href="/facts/101955_Bennu/ae1ebNGR">101955 Bennu</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:86" href="#fn:86"><sup>86</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Dragonfly_(Titan_space_probe)/D753heTr">Dragonfly</a></i>, launching in 2028, future – exploration of the surface of <a href="/facts/Titan_(moon)/lg0l9PCH">Titan</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:87" href="#fn:87"><sup>87</sup></a></li></ul> <h3>Solar System Exploration</h3> <p>In late 2014, the Solar System Exploration program was established alongside the Planetary Missions Program Office to "execute prioritized planetary science."<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:88" href="#fn:88"><sup>88</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:89" href="#fn:89"><sup>89</sup></a> The first mission of the program is <i><a href="/facts/Double_Asteroid_Redirection_Test/WgDRAuqE">DART</a></i>, an <a href="/facts/Asteroid_impact_avoidance/VafHAlfG">asteroid deflection</a> test targeting <a href="/facts/65803_Didymos/dSzgfPza">65803 Didymos</a> that launched in 2021.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:90" href="#fn:90"><sup>90</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:91" href="#fn:91"><sup>91</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:92" href="#fn:92"><sup>92</sup></a> Originally a component of <i><a href="/facts/AIDA_(mission)/o1jh6eJw">AIDA</a></i>, <i>DART</i>'s impact was intended to be observed by ESA's <i>AIM</i> orbiter, which would continue to study Didymos from orbit.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:93" href="#fn:93"><sup>93</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:94" href="#fn:94"><sup>94</sup></a> However, the ESA Council at ministerial level cancelled the <i>AIM</i> mission in favour of funding for the <a href="/facts/ExoMars_rover/ISJKlWXk"><i>ExoMars 2020</i> rover</a>, citing budget concerns.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:95" href="#fn:95"><sup>95</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:96" href="#fn:96"><sup>96</sup></a> Despite the cancellation of <i>AIM</i>, NASA committed to their original plan, opting to continue solely with <i>DART</i>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:97" href="#fn:97"><sup>97</sup></a> DART successfully impacted <a href="/facts/Dimorphos/rEx6zIxn">Dimorphos</a>, the moon of asteroid <a href="/facts/65803_Didymos/dSzgfPza">65803 Didymos</a>, on September 26, 2022.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:98" href="#fn:98"><sup>98</sup></a> Two <a href="/facts/Europa_(moon)/2A9nleK3">Europa</a> astrobiology missions are scheduled in the Solar System Exploration program. The <i><a href="/facts/Europa_Clipper/LuaX203A">Europa Clipper</a></i> was launched on October 14, 2024, on a SpaceX <a href="/facts/Falcon_Heavy/vh7so7BW">Falcon Heavy</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:99" href="#fn:99"><sup>99</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:100" href="#fn:100"><sup>100</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:101" href="#fn:101"><sup>101</sup></a> The ESA <i><a href="/facts/Jupiter_Icy_Moons_Explorer/XcRkV5uS">JUICE</a></i> mission to study Europa, <a href="/facts/Ganymede_(moon)/AmKsF10c">Ganymede</a>, and <a href="/facts/Callisto_(moon)/et0eIutu">Callisto</a> will use the NASA-built, Solar System Exploration Program-funded Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS) and parts of the Particle Environment Package (PEP) and Radar for Icy Moons Exploration (RIME) instruments.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:102" href="#fn:102"><sup>102</sup></a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:103" href="#fn:103"><sup>103</sup></a> </p><p>Missions </p> <ul><li><i><a href="/facts/Double_Asteroid_Redirection_Test/WgDRAuqE">DART</a></i>, launched 2021, completed – impact technology demonstration on <a href="/facts/65803_Didymos/dSzgfPza">65803 Didymos</a>'s satellite.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:104" href="#fn:104"><sup>104</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Jupiter_Icy_Moons_Explorer/XcRkV5uS">JUICE</a></i>, launched 2023, Operational – astrobiology study of Europa, <a href="/facts/Ganymede_(moon)/AmKsF10c">Ganymede</a>, and <a href="/facts/Callisto_(moon)/et0eIutu">Callisto</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:105" href="#fn:105"><sup>105</sup></a></li> <li><i><a href="/facts/Europa_Clipper/LuaX203A">Europa Clipper</a></i>, launched 2024, Operational – subsurface ocean and habitability study of <a href="/facts/Europa_(moon)/2A9nleK3">Europa</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:106" href="#fn:106"><sup>106</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="timeline">Timeline</h2> <ul><li>v</li><li>t</li><li>e</li></ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul> <li>Solar System portal</li><li>Spaceflight portal</li><li>United States portal</li></ul> <ul><li><a href="/facts/European_Space_Agency_Science_Programme/EmQneQBL">European Space Agency Science Programme</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Explorers_Program/UAWJXqxP">Explorers Program</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Large_strategic_science_missions/0b0FrMnI">Large strategic science missions</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Mars_Exploration_Program/yyjFYQFs">Mars Exploration Program</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Ocean_Worlds_Exploration_Program/KnrtL01x">Ocean Worlds Exploration Program</a></li></ul> <h2 id="external-links">External links</h2> Wikimedia Commons has media related to NASA Planetary Missions Program. <ul><li><a href="https://www.nasa.gov/planetarymissions/index.html">Planetary Missions Program Office</a> at <a href="/facts/NASA/TIMCV0yV">NASA</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.facebook.com/planetarymissions/">NASA Planetary Missions Program</a> at Facebook</li></ul> <p><a href="https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Planetary_Missions_Program_Office¶ms=34.661500_N_86.668995_W_">34°39′41″N 86°40′08″W / 34.661500°N 86.668995°W / 34.661500; -86.668995</a> </p> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Green, James L. 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