NASA Abandons Janus Asteroid Mission, Leaving Probes Grounded

NASA has canceled the Janus mission, which aimed to send a pair of small satellites to binary asteroids. The completed spacecraft will be put into long-term storage for potential use in future missions. The cancellation was prompted by delays in the Psyche asteroid mission, which Janus was a rideshare payload on. Alternative missions were considered, including a visit to the near-Earth asteroid Apophis, but NASA's planetary science division decided not to pursue them due to budget constraints. The Janus spacecraft will be stored at a Lockheed Martin facility, effectively concluding the project.