VERITAS (spacecraft)

VERITAS
	Illustration of VERITAS spacecraft in orbit around Venus
Mission type	Venus Orbiter
Operator	Jet Propulsion Laboratory / NASA
Mission duration	3 years (planned)
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	Lockheed Martin
Start of mission
Launch date	No earlier than 2031 (official); November 2029 (proposed)
Instruments
	Venus Emissivity Mapper (VEM); Venus Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (VISAR); Deep Space Atomic Clock-2 (DSAC-2)
	Discovery program ← Psyche DAVINCI →

VERITAS (Venus Emissivity, Radio Science, InSAR, Topography, and Spectroscopy) is an upcoming mission from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to map the surface of the planet Venus in high resolution. The combination of topography, near-infrared spectroscopy, and radar image data will provide knowledge of Venus's tectonic and impact history, gravity, geochemistry, the timing and mechanisms of volcanic resurfacing, and the mantle processes responsible for them.

On 4 November 2022, NASA announced the postponement of the mission launch from 2027 to 2031, citing institutional problems at JPL delaying the launch of Psyche.^[2] The mission's Principal Investigator Suzanne Smrekar has counterproposed a November 2029 launch date, which she argued would require only modest "bridge" funding and compared to the 2031 option would offer lower overall cost and fewer conflicts with DAVINCI and EnVision; this position obtained endorsement by a Congressional committee in October 2023.^[1]^[3]

^ ^a ^b Foust, Jeff (8 November 2023). "VERITAS mission warns of risks of launch delay". SpaceNews. Retrieved 6 January 2024.
^
- Problems with NASA asteroid mission Psyche delay Venus probe's launch to 2031 Space.com, 2022-11-04.
- NASA's VERITAS Mission has Funding Cut, Delays Mission by Minimum of Three Years Labroots, 2023-03-16.
- NASA Venus mission VERITAS becomes collateral damage amid budget pressures Space.com, 2023-03-28.
- Scientists erupt at NASA gutting funding for crucial Venus mission The Verge, 2023-03-28.
^ @jeff_foust (29 March 2023). "In a presentation at Space Science Week, Sue Smrekar says the earliest VERITAS can now launch is late 2029, which she argues is preferable over 2031 to deconflict with DAVINCI and EnVision and lower overall cost. Need "modest" bridge funding in FY23 and 24 to do so" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

[Foust2029-1] Foust, Jeff (8 November 2023). "VERITAS mission warns of risks of launch delay". SpaceNews. Retrieved 6 January 2024.

[2] 
Problems with NASA asteroid mission Psyche delay Venus probe's launch to 2031 Space.com, 2022-11-04.

NASA's VERITAS Mission has Funding Cut, Delays Mission by Minimum of Three Years Labroots, 2023-03-16.

NASA Venus mission VERITAS becomes collateral damage amid budget pressures Space.com, 2023-03-28.

Scientists erupt at NASA gutting funding for crucial Venus mission The Verge, 2023-03-28.

[3] Problems with NASA asteroid mission Psyche delay Venus probe's launch to 2031 Space.com, 2022-11-04.

[4] NASA's VERITAS Mission has Funding Cut, Delays Mission by Minimum of Three Years Labroots, 2023-03-16.

[5] NASA Venus mission VERITAS becomes collateral damage amid budget pressures Space.com, 2023-03-28.

[6] Scientists erupt at NASA gutting funding for crucial Venus mission The Verge, 2023-03-28.

[3] @jeff_foust (29 March 2023). "In a presentation at Space Science Week, Sue Smrekar says the earliest VERITAS can now launch is late 2029, which she argues is preferable over 2031 to deconflict with DAVINCI and EnVision and lower overall cost. Need "modest" bridge funding in FY23 and 24 to do so" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

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