Upcoming Events

At the last OPAG meeting in February, Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, gave an update on the program.  Included in that update was a schedule of upcoming planetary exploration events for the next three years.  I've slightly modified the list of events to include key mission selection events.  I was unable to find a definitive timeline for when ESA will select its next large mission; one of the candidate missions is the Jupiter Ganymede Orbiter.

Looking over this list, the next three years will be a wonderful time for those of us who follow planetary exploration.

2010

• June 13 - Hayabusa (JAXA) asteroid sample return
• Decadal survey: 2nd-3rd Quarter Prioritization and drafting of survey report 
• July 10 – Rosetta (ESA) closest approach for asteroid Lutetia
• Sept – Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter transitions to Planetary Science Division
• Nov 4 - EPOXI encounters comet Hartley 2
• Late ‘10 Venus Climate Orbiter (JAXA) arrives at Venus
• Late ‘10- Early ‘11(?) – Opportunity gets to Endeavour
• Late ‘10- Early ‘11(?) – Down selection of Discovery missions?

2011

• Decadal Survey - 1st Quarter Report approved, NASA, NSF, OMB and Congress briefed and report released (prepublication-format)
• Feb 14 - Stardust NExT encounters comet Tempel-1
• Mar 18 - MESSENGER orbit insertion at Mercury
• April/May - New Frontiers mission selection
• July - Dawn orbit insertion at asteroid Vesta
• Aug - Juno launch to Jupiter
• Sept - GRAIL launch to the Moon
• Oct - MSL launch to Mars

2012

• Mid-year – Dawn leaves Vesta starts on its journey to Ceres
• Mid-year – Selection of next Discovery mission?
• Aug - MSL lands on Mars
• Oct - LADEE launch to the Moon