NASA’s newest Mars satellite will launch regardless of government shutdown

The shutdown of the US government has put nearly all of NASA's work on hold, but one mission — called MAVEN — is being spared from shutdown and will launch on schedule on November 18th.

MAVEN, or the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission, is designed to examine Mars' atmosphere, looking for clues about what shaped the Mars we know today. Also, since Mars doesn't have a magnetic field like Earth does, MAVEN will see how its atmosphere interacts with the solar wind.

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If preparations for MAVEN were put on hold along with most of NASA's other projects, it could cause the mission to miss its launch window, which starts on November 18th. Since MAVEN's flight to Mars depends on where Earth and Mars are in their orbits, a delay would force the team to wait until early 2016 for their next opportunity. If any attempt were made to launch in the months between now and then, MAVEN wouldn't have enough fuel left over after it arrived to complete its mission.

What saved MAVEN from the possibility of this unfortunate delay is that it's not only a science satellite, but it will also act as a communications relay between Earth and the Curiosity and Opportunity rovers currently on the surface of Mars. The possibility of a delay in the launch would have opened up a gap in NASA's ability to talk to the Mars rovers, putting those missions in jeopardy too. This qualified MAVEN as an emergency exception to the 'Anti-Deficiency Act', and put it back on schedule.

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MAVEN getting the green light for an on-schedule launch may not sit well with some, given the conflicts that sparked the US government shutdown in the first place, but this particular decision is really more about saving money. The satellite is nearly complete and ready to go, and delaying it would probably just end up costing even more. The fact that the science of MAVEN benefits from the decision is an added, and welcome, bonus.

(Image courtesy: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center)

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