Discovery
Government shutdown could delay NASA’s Lucy asteroid mission
A NASA asteroid mission that has remained on schedule for a mid-October launch despite disruptions caused by the pandemic is now facing a new challenge: the threat of a federal government shutdown.
NASA selects four finalists for next Discovery mission
NASA is considering missions to Venus and two outer solar system moons as the next in its Discovery line of planetary science missions.
Committee praises NASA’s planetary science program but raises some concerns
NASA has done a good job implementing the recommendations of its latest planetary science decadal survey despite past budget problems, but needs to improve some programs, a recent report concluded.
Two Discovery Missions Now Means Fewer Later, NASA Official Says
The agency has said it could select two of the five finalists for the latest of its Discovery-class planetary missions — including two Venus concepts and three asteroid concepts — next year for full-scale development.
Venus, Asteroid Proposals Advance in NASA Discovery Competition
Five robotic mission concepts — two for Venus, three for asteroids — will duke it out to become NASA's next Discovery-class small planetary science mission. The winner would launch in 2021.
Small Bodies Dominate NASA’s Latest Discovery Competition
Over half of the 28 proposals NASA received for a $450 million robotic solar-system mission launching around 2021 seek to explore small bodies such as comets, asteroids or tiny moons.
