New Frontiers program

New Frontiers program
Name	New Frontiers program
Country	United States
Operator	National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Status	Active
First launch	2006

New Frontiers program

The New Frontiers program is a United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration initiative for medium-class planetary science missions managed by the Planetary Science Division and implemented through the Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and principal investigators at universities and research institutions. It follows the competitive selection model similar to Discovery Program and complements flagship projects such as Mars Sample Return, Voyager program, and Cassini–Huygens while interfacing with international partners like the European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

Overview

The program funds planetary missions with moderate budgets and fixed cost caps administered by NASA Headquarters, overseen by the Science Mission Directorate and advised by the NASA Advisory Council and the Planetary Science Decadal Survey. New Frontiers aims to address targets and investigations identified in the Decadal Survey, responding to recommendations alongside missions like Europa Clipper, Dragonfly, and OSIRIS-REx. Managed through project offices at Marshall Space Flight Center, Ames Research Center, and Goddard Space Flight Center, New Frontiers draws expertise from contractors such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Ball Aerospace.

History and development

The program emerged from long-term planning in the 1990s and was codified in responses to the Decadal Survey reports produced by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Early political and budgetary milestones involved stakeholders in the United States Congress, notably committees like the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and consultations with advisory bodies including the Comet and Asteroid Missions Steering Committee. The first selections reflected priorities shaped by discoveries from Galileo (spacecraft), Magellan (spacecraft), and the Hubble Space Telescope. Programmatic changes over time engaged managers from Jet Propulsion Laboratory, directors from Planetary Science Division, and program scientists from institutions such as California Institute of Technology, Southwest Research Institute, and University of Arizona.

Mission objectives and selection

Selection of New Frontiers missions follows solicitations and peer review coordinated by the Science Mission Directorate and assessed by panels drawn from the National Research Council and the Outer Planets Assessment Group. Proposals must address high-priority science goals listed in the Decadal Survey and the Outer Planets Assessment Group reports, and compete under rules similar to those used for Discovery Program and Explorer program. Principal investigators from organizations such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Maryland, and Washington University in St. Louis lead teams that include partners like the Smithsonian Institution, Carnegie Institution for Science, and Max Planck Society. The review process examines science traceability matrices, management plans, cost estimates submitted to Cost Analysis Division, and risk assessments using frameworks from NASA Office of Inspector General and external review boards including the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.

Spacecraft and instruments

New Frontiers spacecraft employ platforms developed by contractors such as Lockheed Martin Space, Ball Aerospace, and Aerojet Rocketdyne, using subsystems tested at facilities like Kennedy Space Center and JPL integration labs. Instruments flown on missions have included imaging systems from teams at Malin Space Science Systems, spectrometers developed with researchers at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, mass spectrometers from Goddard Space Flight Center, and sample acquisition hardware designed by groups at University of Bern and University of Tokyo. Thermal control solutions were informed by work at Ames Research Center and power systems integrated by Maxar Technologies. Navigation used deep space networks coordinated with Deep Space Network stations in Goldstone, California, Madrid, and Canberra.

Launches and missions

Selected New Frontiers missions have been launched on vehicles provided by launch service providers such as United Launch Alliance and SpaceX, with missions including high-profile projects that targeted comets, asteroids, and planetary bodies studied by teams from Southwest Research Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, and University of California, Berkeley. Missions have used gravity assists from planets like Earth and Venus and trajectories planned with software from JPL and GSFC. Mission operations have been conducted from facilities including the Mission Control Center at JPL, flight teams involving personnel from NASA Ames and instrument scientists from institutions such as Brown University and MIT. Proposed and selected targets have spanned the inner and outer Solar System consistent with priorities set by the Decadal Survey and communities represented by groups like the Small Bodies Assessment Group.

Scientific achievements and legacy

New Frontiers missions have yielded discoveries that shaped understanding of planetary formation and evolution, complementing findings from Mariner program, Pioneer program, and Kepler (spacecraft). Scientific returns have been disseminated through journals managed by American Geophysical Union, Nature Publishing Group, and Science (journal), with data archived at the Planetary Data System and used by teams at Caltech, Cornell University, University of Arizona, and numerous international collaborators such as CNES and Roscosmos. The program influenced future mission designs, technology development at NASA Glenn Research Center, and training of scientists through fellowships awarded by the National Science Foundation and the NASA Postdoctoral Program. Category:Category:NASA programs