NASA will return to Venus with two missions by 2030

Part of what makes scientists so enthusiastic is that the capabilities of the two spacecraft are very complementary. “We have such a different spatial resolution from our datasets,” says Filiberto. “DAVINCI + is going to be able to see these ancient rocks with a higher resolution than VERITAS, but VERITAS is going to have global coverage, so they’re going to be able to put our perspective into context. “

There might also be more crafts joining the fun soon. Later this month, ESA will choose between two proposals for its next medium-sized mission, one of which, Envision, is another Venus orbiter. In addition, Russia and India are planning their own missions to Venus separately.

“Venus could be overcrowded over the next decade,” says Filiberto.

Biden’s NASA takes shape

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson made the announcement during a State of NASA Address, his most expansive statement on the space agency’s agenda since being appointed by the President Joe Biden earlier this year and sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris on May 3. Essentially, this program continues the direction established by his predecessor, Jim Bridenstine, under the Trump administration. Nelson, 78, is a former Democratic US senator from Florida and flew on the space shuttle Colombia in 1986 as a member of Congress.

In the Senate, Nelson was a staunch supporter of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), which is the space shuttle-derived launcher that will return astronauts to the moon as part of the Artemis program. Although SLS suffered many delays and is over budget, Nelson’s appointment was a signal that the Biden administration would not abandon the launch system for a commercial alternative. In his speech, Nelson praised the program and reaffirmed NASA’s commitment to land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon.

One notable change for NASA is a renewed emphasis on earth sciences as part of Biden’s climate program. Nelson led his speech by discussing NASA Earth System Observatory, an ambitious initiative announced last week that aims to design and pilot a set of satellites dedicated to comprehensive monitoring of Earth changes. Nelson also gave a personal anecdote from his time in space, referring to the “whole effect” reported by astronauts, where they get a new appreciation for the beauty and fragility of the planet.

The only big news from Nelson’s speech was the selection of DAVINCI + and VERITAS, which he saved for last and announced with a prepared video – a moment of exhilaration for the chosen science teams. “When the video came out, I thought it was like watching the Oscars,” with a montage of all the nominees, says Filiberto. “It took me a while to realize that they were showing the two winners.”