SOFIA has dodged cancellation before, but this time might be different.
has survived multiple cancellation attempts in the past, but this time might be different. In November 2021, the astrophysics decadal survey — a community-informed document that lays out the top priorities for astrophysics research over the next 10 years — also recommended axing the mission, which costs about $85 million per year.The 2023 budget request cited that lack of support, noting that closing out SOFIA is"consistent with the recommendations of the science community.
"SOFIA’s annual operations budget is the second-most expensive operating mission in Astrophysics, yet the science productivity of the mission is not commensurate with other large science missions," officials wrote in aThat request gives NASA about $26 billion for fiscal year 2023, which begins on Oct. 1. That's nearly $2 billion more than the agency is getting this year. The 2023 request must be approved by Congress to take effect.
, a proposed project that got $8.5 million in the 2022 request. That's not necessarily a death blow for the mission, however. Mars Ice Mapper"is still in pre-formulation with roles being discussed with international partners," officials wrote in the budget document."NASA had not planned on making hardware contributions to this mission but had discussed the possibility of taking on mission management activities."
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