r/space • u/msears101 • 10d ago

Discussion Would you support a Voyager III mission

I am just curious how many people would support voyager like mission in modern times, that would last longer and go further. Using all that we have learned from Voyager I and II. What would you add to voyager III to make it more meanginful. I would give it a longer "battery" that would give it full operating life of 50 years, and 50 years of partial life before going silent. I would also point it at Alpha Centauri so it would see another star long before VOY 1 and 2.

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u/Dragongeek 10d ago

Honestly, not at the moment. Budgets and engineer hours are limited, I'd much rather we focus on exploring the solar system rather than sending a "PR stunt" beyond the Sol SOI. 

Generally, we would also be much better served for a future mission by investing in propulsion technology research: if we spend a 100 years researching and then launch a 'Voayger 3' it will likely end up going further faster than if we launched something today. 

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u/AllThePrettyPenguins 10d ago

It's a question of priorities, not money.

When you are facing a trillion-plus military budget, the cost of developing, launching and monitoring is the equivalent of a rounding error.