SMEX Study Teams -
The Explorer program has completed an initial review of the impacts from the proposed reduction in funding for future Explorer missions (a reduction relative to the planning budget that we had been using). There are a large number of possibilities, and they depend on a number of activities that are uncertain right now (e.g. when will Swift launch? when will WISE launch? when will ESA approve EUSO? etc.).
Several realistic options allow zero or minimal slip in the required funding profile to support a SMEX 10 launch in November 2007 and a SMEX 11 launch in November 2008. Note that this is independent of whether NASA downselects one or two missions; the principal impact from that decision is on the next MIDEX AO, not on the launch date for SMEX 10 and SMEX 11. The likely launch date slips are small enough (typically a few months, possibly up to 6 months) that NASA is willing to work the impacts out, if there are any, with the mission(s) that are downselected to enter Phase B.
Therefore, you should proceed with your Phase A Concept Study Reports with no change to the launch readiness date (LRD) requirements in the Guidelines and with no imposed constraint on available funding profile.
Paul Hertz
Explorer Program Scientist
NASA Headquarters Responsible Office: Code SZ
Last Updated: 13 February 2004
Author: Paul Hertz (Code SZ)