NASA announced yesterday that is has delayed its planned October 2009 launch of the Mars Science Laboratory rover until 2011. This is the latest of many problems where the agency tries to bail out missions that go over budget at the expense of other projects.

The rover is set to test the Martian surface in order to see if there are some signs of past potential habitability, continuing the work of the lifeless Phoenix Mars Lander and the two Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. Even if it seemed probable that the rover could make its launch in 2009, technical issues and delivery delays have tossed that out of window. Because Mars and Earth only come close enough to permit a launch every 26 months, the MSL will be launched in 2011. Unfortunately for other planetary missions, NASA will have to make room in the budget for this delay, which will cost the agency $400 million, in addition to the $2 billion spent already.

NASA's first commitment to MSL came in August 2006, during the mission's “confirmation review” for $1.63 billion. The problems that appeared in the middle of 2007 bumped the cost up to $1.88 billion, while the delay will make this mission around $2.3 billion worth. NASA officials opinate that the reason for the always-increasing costs is the new ground being broken by flagship missions like this, which are attempting things no one has ever tried befoe. In other words, revolutionary missions call for revolutionary costs. Charles Elachi, the JPL director, told the media: "We have not been very good at cost estimates, and I take responsibility for that. This has been just a very complicated mission."

As for the Mars Phoenix Lander, it was launched in August 2007, speeding towards Mars. In May, 2008, the Lander touched down and began its mission on the red planet. One of its main objectives was to find out if water ice was present in the Martian soil, and the Pheonix found evidence that ice was in the Martian soil. Even if it was scheduled to last three months, NASA decided to keep the Lander working. After it lost communications with the Lander, NASA officially closed the mission. However, Controllers tried on November the 29th to raise Phoenix one final time. The advancing Martian winter is depriving the lander of the solar energy it needs to maintain working power levels. Unbelievable as it seems, NASA says that there's a remote chance that Phoenix could survive the Martian winter so, therefore, it will try to re-establish contact with the Lander in the Martian springtime.