NASA cancels next Mars probe due to instrument leak

NASA has suspended its next mission to Mars, initially scheduled for March 2016, because of a fault detected in a key research instrument. During testing on Monday in extreme cold temperatures the instrument failed to hold a vacuum, the agency said. The ideal 2016 launch window is between March 4 and 30th. “Our teams will find a solution to fix it, but it won t be solved in time for a launch in 2016”.

John Grunsfeld, NASA’s science mission chief said that the launch date was very close, and it was not possible to fix the leak in time for the launch.

The costs for the InSight mission, including launch and data analysis, are capped at $675 million, up from an initial $425 million, NASA Planetary Sciences Division Director Jim Green told reporters.

The goal of the mission is to study the core, mantle and crust of Mars much akin to the study of Earth’s core, mantle and crust. Assuming the cause of the leak can be repaired, something both the teams at NASA and CNES feel is likely, the launch delay introduces a potential new problem: the budget.

The instruments have been created to measure movements as small as the diameter of an atom. If not ultimately cancelled, the InSight mission would be delayed until at least 2018, which would be the next launch opportunity for any craft heading to Mars.

Engineers first discovered the leaks in August.

NASA will exhibit the artifacts from its ongoing work on the Orion spacecraft that will enable astronauts to fly beyond low Earth orbit.

“A decision on a path forward will be made in the coming months, but one thing is clear: NASA remains fully committed to the scientific discovery and exploration of Mars”, he said in the statement.

The InSight spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin, was delivered to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, on December 16. Its objective is not only to study Mars, but also to gain insights into the formation of rocky planets in the inner Solar System.

“It’s not a disaster”, said Bruce Banerdt, InSight’s principal investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Detailed knowledge of the interior of Mars in comparison to Earth will help scientists understand better how terrestrial planets form and evolve, as well better prepare for the day astronauts are sent to live on the Red Planet.