What was the Voyager 3 mission that was scrapped? Why did it not take off?
After Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, NASA envisioned Voyager 3. But it never took off and was cancelled. There were several reasons for canning the third mission. Even though Voyager 3 was put in a box, scientists have proposed that it can do today.
Third Voyager mission? NASA planned and cancelled Voyager 3
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are two historical human missions that will carry the imprints of our civilisations even after we are long gone. But, do you know that NASA had plans for a third Voyager mission? It didn't materialise, and most people don't know about it either. Why didn't NASA send out the Voyager 3 spacecraft despite planning for it? Here's what happened.
Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were the only two spacecraft made to study outer solar system
Voyager 3 was never a fully planned mission. The two main Voyager spacecraft were supposed to do all the work of studying Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune, and also observe Pluto, the Jovian and Saturn moons, and interstellar space. Today, both these missions continue to float in space on an endless journey, packing in hordes of data.
NASA wanted to spend money on newer missions
However, Voyager 3 was canned before it could fully come to the table due to budgetary constraints. NASA was of the view that Voyager 1 and 2 had already been sent to explore the outer solar system, so it wouldn't be feasible to spend more money on a third mission. Besides, the space agency wanted to dedicate resources to other missions, such as Galileo, Cassini and New Horizons.
Grand Tour alignment was the motivating factor behind sending Voyager probes
The most important reason for not having a third Voyager mission was how the first two were planned. They were designed and launched in a time frame that would allow them to reach a point in the solar system when a Grand Tour alignment was about to take place. They were launched in 1977 on those specific dates to take advantage of the alignment to make use of gravity assist.
Outer planets align in a straight line only once every 176 years
Since this specific alignment occurs only once every 176 years, there was no point in spending money on a third Voyager mission. If a third one had been launched, it would have been a futile activity, as by the time it would have reached Jupiter, the planets would have moved on to different places.
Voyager 3 future idea - Mission could take photos of exoplanets
But the idea of Voyager 3 continues to persist. In 2022, a third such mission was envisioned as a concept. It was proposed that this mission would be a space telescope travelling through space and packed with instruments that would take pictures of exoplanets up close.
Voyager 3 would reach 550 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun and use its power to click pictures of exoplanets
This was to be made possible by using the Sun’s gravity. According to the concept, Voyager 3 would reach 550 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun and leverage the Solar Gravitational Lens to directly image the exoplanets. If this could happen, then humans would be able to learn about the planets in other worlds with ease. However, we have yet to develop a technology that would take them through space at extremely high speeds to save time.
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