NASA really wants to probe Uranus and could start planning next year

We don't know a lot about our neighborhood.

Over the past six and a half decades of spaceflight, we have learned a lot about our solar system, but there are still mysteries to be solved. The planet Uranus is one of the largest. We flew past the planet in 1986 but haven't been back since.

Soon, that will change. According to this year's survey by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, NASA's main planetary science project of the next 10 years should be a flagship mission to Uranus. A decadal survey is a report that surveys the scientific community on top research priorities. The director of NASA's Planetary Science Division said at a virtual town hall that there was a very rough timetable for the possible mission to Uranus.

Scientists would like NASA to send a flagship mission to the strange planet.

We are working towards the launch of a Uranus probe mission. She said that the studies could start as early as fiscal year 2023.

The idea is for a probe to dive into the ice giant's atmosphere in order to get a better look at it. This research could give us insight into the evolution of ice giant systems, which are found throughout our galaxy, as well as enhancing our knowledge of the planet itself.

It takes a lot of research and planning to make a flagship mission like the UOP. It would be the early phases of research that would determine the shape of the mission. Glaze said that they need to make sure that the mission can be implemented.

According to Glaze, a launch could happen as early as the early 2030s, which would put the arrival of the craft at Uranus in the 2040s or beyond. It will take between 12 and 15 years for it to travel between Earth and Uranus.

"I think it's great that we have clear guidance from the decadal survey on the highest priority next flagship, and the fact that they've identified the ice giant as the ice giant to visit," said Glaze. We are really excited about this.

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