NASA has sent a whole host of spacecraft across the Solar System and even beyond. They range from crewed ships to orbit and to the Moon to robotic exp

NASA Announces a New Class of Space Missions: Probe Explorers

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2024-10-09 17:00:05

NASA has sent a whole host of spacecraft across the Solar System and even beyond. They range from crewed ships to orbit and to the Moon to robotic explorers. Among them are a range of mission classes from Flagships to Discovery Class programs. Now a new category has been announced: Probe Explorers. This new category will fill the gap between Flagship and smaller missions. Among them are two proposed missions; the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite and the Probe Far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics.

NASA’s new Probe Explorers program aims to cultivate creative ideas to explore the Universe. The category is one of the largest astrophysics program from the American space agency. Nicola Fox, NASA’s associate administrator of Science Mission Directorate said of the category ‘..it has taken creativity to new heights,’ adding ‘selected concepts could enable ground breaking science responsive to the top astrophysics priorities of the decade, develop key technologies for future flagship missions, and offer opportunities for the entire community.’

The two projects that have been proposed are now due for additional scrutiny. They will each received $5million to undertake a 12 month concept study. After this period, a detailed evaluation will be undertaken to select one of the proposals in 2026 to launch in 2032. The chosen mission will become the first of NASA’s Probe Explorer program.