(NASA / Lockheed Martin http://bit.ly/3gAIqnJ)
NASA has indefinitely postponed the Janus project to send two small research probes to binary asteroids.
The agency said the decision was the lack of suitable asteroids.
Initially, the probes were supposed to be launched from Earth in October 2023.
The Janus project was approved by NASA for implementation under the SIMPLEx (Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration) program in 2020.
Its task was to study double asteroids from a flyby trajectory using two identical small spacecraft.
The mass of each device is 36 kilograms, they are equipped with
a propulsion system
solar panels
optical cameras
infrared cameras
Near-Earth binary asteroids (35107) 1991 VH and (175706) 1996 FG3 were chosen as targets for probes.
The asteroids contain bodies ranging in size from several hundred meters to almost 2 kilometers.
At the beginning, the probes would go into space with the Psyche interplanetary station in 2022.
Then, in March 2026 the spacecraft would visit the 1991 VH system, and in April of the same year, the 1996 FG3 asteroid.
POSTPONED MISSION
However, due to flight software issues, Psyche's launch was first delayed and later rescheduled for October 2023.
This led to the disruption of the original Janus scientific program, now the devices can no longer reach the selected asteroids.
The space agency had planned to select other target systems, but has now said that the probes already assembled will not be able to reach any asteroids when launched in October 2023.
This does not mean the complete closure of the project, but now the launch of the probes will be postponed indefinitely.
Sources:
NASA: https://blogs.nasa.gov/janus/2022/11/18/janus-mission-removed-from-2023-psyche-launch-manifest/
Space.com: https://www.space.com/janus-asteroid-mission-removed-psyche-launch-delay
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