The American space agency has faced serious financial difficulties. A NASA division will shut down two instruments in October. These instruments are installed aboard an interplanetary probe. The New Horizons spacecraft continues its long cosmic journey. The reason behind this decision lies in a severe shortage of funds. The budget lacks two million US dollars. This amount is required to continue operating the scientific instruments. The money is also needed to process incoming data. The spacecraft itself is fully operational and functioning stably. The probe is capable of operating for several more decades.
Two important scientific instruments face complete shutdown. The first instrument, PEPSSI, detects high-energy charged cosmic particles. The second instrument, SWAP, measures parameters of the solar wind. This stream of charged particles flows continuously from the Sun. The probe remains the only modern American spacecraft heading into deep space. It is currently traveling toward distant interstellar space. The spacecraft successfully flew past Pluto in 2015. The probe successfully studied the object Arrokoth in 2019. Its scientific equipment is significantly more advanced than the instruments aboard older spacecraft. The probe has enough fuel and power to last until 2050.
The scientific value of the detectors is tied to the probe's current position. The spacecraft is set to pass through the solar wind deceleration zone. It will soon reach the heliopause and the boundary of interstellar space. Older spacecraft from the 1970s crossed these boundaries with outdated equipment. Mission principal investigator Alan Stern made an important statement. The scientist spoke of a unique opportunity to record this event. The Voyagers' remaining resources are gradually nearing their end. The probe risks becoming the last operational spacecraft in deep space. The craft is currently located sixty-six times farther from Earth than the Sun. The funding problem has persisted for more than one year.
The division has not allocated funds to support the two instruments. The agency has not been paying the salaries of the mission's engineers and scientists. The story became public at the initiative of the scientific team itself. The bulk of the budget currently comes from the planetary science allocation. Approximately ten million dollars are allocated for planetary science annually. An additional two million is expected to come from the heliophysics division. That division's budget has been significantly cut in recent years. This is precisely why the acute shortage of funds for the instruments arose. The timing of the shutdown looks extremely unfortunate for the entire scientific community. The probe is approaching the boundary along an entirely new trajectory.
The scientific community has already responded with a dedicated online petition. Heliophysicist James Green initiated the signature drive on Change.org. The initiative has been actively supported by hundreds of researchers from various communities. The goal of the campaign is to restore the two million dollars in funding. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman responded to the strong public reaction. The official stated that this issue is already being actively addressed. No specific timeline for resolving the problem has been announced officially. No guarantees of continued funding have been provided to scientists either. The space agency continues to seek a compromise to save the instruments. Unique data about the boundary of the Solar System remains under serious threat.