10-year report released: Uranus will be the target of a new major mission

If NASA employees take their requirements into account, then in the early 2030s the agency will launch an orbital satellite to Uranus.

apparatus and atmospheric probe worth $4.2 billion. This will help understand the formation and composition of the ice giant.

Uranus looks like a cross between rocky planets and gas giants, a unique planetary type that scientists have not explored very well.

This mission will be the first since 1986 whenthe apparatus flew past the planet for the first time. Scientists still do not know why the planet rotates on its side, and how its unusual magnetic field was formed. It will also be possible to study all 27 satellites of Uranus.

The mission that scientists are planning consists of an orbiter that will operate for several years, as well as a probe that explores the planet's atmosphere and powerful winds of hydrogen, helium and methane.

If you launch a mission on a Falcon Heavy rocket in2031 or 2032, the orbiter could receive gravitational support from Jupiter and reach its target in 13 years. The decision to build the mission now depends on how NASA determines its future budget.

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