NASA's Venus Mission Funding Sparks Outrage Among Scientists

Funding has been gutted for a key NASA Venus mission, VERITAS, which was set to launch in 2028 and would have mapped Venus with radar and infrared spectroscopy. This comes after the discovery of the first direct evidence of an active volcano on Venus, which has excited the planetary science community. The delay of VERITAS has been attributed to problems with another mission, Psyche, but the VERITAS team argues that the delay is due to budget issues. The sudden cutting of funding to an already selected mission is sending ripples through the wider scientific community, with concerns over the impact on international partnerships and the potential for ruining partnerships with experienced international engineers and scientists who are needed for future missions.