Competed missions traditionally value much less and fly extra continuously than NASA’s high-profile flagship missions, which typically value upwards of $2 billion and fly as soon as per decade. NASA makes an attempt to fly 5 Discovery-class missions and two New Frontiers missions each decade (congressional budgets allowing), with a $500 million value cap on Discovery and a $900 million value cap on New Frontiers. These value caps are designed to restrict NASA’s publicity to value overruns, enabling extra missions and permitting for extra novel, higher-risk designs.
Additionally distinct is the political authority granted to NASA to pursue competed missions. Flagship missions characterize the company’s high scientific priorities, are assigned to a major NASA middle for implementation, after which should safe a funding dedication from the White Home’s budgeting workplace and acquire a “new begin” approval by Congress. Solely then can NASA start making long-term contracts and commitments vital to construct a big and sophisticated spacecraft. In distinction, Discovery and New Frontiers missions are pre-authorized by Congress; NASA can choose missions inside these courses as continuously as funding permits. In idea, this gives extra speedy growth alternatives.
Competed planetary missions are science-focused and scientist-led. That is once more distinct from flagship-class missions, which, whereas science-focused, are led by an present NASA middle. Competed missions are led by Principal Investigators (PIs) who assemble each a science and engineering staff to submit an in depth proposal to the area company for the kind of mission they’d wish to pursue. The scientific payload and staff are proposed wholistically by the very people who will then implement the mission. This elevates scientific management to the highest of the decision-making course of and customarily results in a extra copacetic (albeit smaller) science staff.
