// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Uranus
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, an ice giant known for its distinctive blue-green color and its unusual tilt, causing it to rotate on its side.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun, an ice giant with a hydrogen-helium atmosphere, a mantle of water, ammonia, and methane ices, and a unique axial tilt of 98 degrees, resulting in extreme seasonal variations.
BACKGROUND
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the United States' civil space program and for research in aeronautics and space. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., NASA operates ten field centers across the U.S. and is organized into three mission directorates: Human Spaceflight, Research and Technology, and Science. Established in 1958 amid the Space Race, NASA succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to give the U.S. space program a distinct civilian orientation focused on peaceful applications. Since then, it has led most American spaceflight programs, including Project Mercury, Project Gemini, the Apollo program, Skylab, the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station (ISS) and the ongoing multi-national Artemis program.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Ice giant
- seventh planet
- blue-green planet
- sideways planet
USAGE NOTE
Missions to Uranus could reveal more about the formation of ice giants and the dynamics of planetary atmospheres.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Uranus.
JPL manages and operates many of NASA's robotic deep space missions. They are leading the concept studies and pre-formulation work for the Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP), a high-priority flagship mission recommended by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
As the primary U.S. space agency, NASA funds and directs planetary science missions. NASA is actively supporting the development of a future mission to Uranus, following the Planetary Science Decadal Survey's recommendation to make a Uranus Orbiter and Probe the highest priority large-scale mission.
ESA is a key international partner in planetary exploration. The agency has participated in studies for missions to the ice giants, including Uranus, and is a potential collaborator with NASA on a future Uranus mission, providing spacecraft components, instruments, or launch services.
APL designs, builds, and operates robotic spacecraft for NASA, including the New Horizons mission to Pluto. The lab is heavily involved in developing concepts and technologies for future outer planet missions, including mission architectures for a Uranus Orbiter and Probe.
SwRI develops scientific instruments for space missions and plays a leading role in mission science teams. Researchers at SwRI are involved in defining the scientific goals and instrument requirements for a future mission to explore the Uranian system.
A major aerospace contractor that builds spacecraft for NASA, including the Juno and Osiris-REx missions. The company is a potential prime contractor for building the main spacecraft bus for a flagship-class Uranus Orbiter mission.
As a leading manufacturer of spacecraft, components, and advanced scientific instruments, the former Ball Aerospace (now part of BAE Systems) is a key industrial partner that would likely build critical systems, such as high-gain antennas or optical instruments, for a future Uranus mission.
LPL is a leading academic research center for planetary science. Its faculty and researchers are deeply involved in analyzing data from past missions like Voyager 2 and play a crucial role in developing the scientific case and designing instruments for future missions to planets like Uranus.