The new race for space

By Aussiegirl

An interesting article about the various proposed space missions in Britain that are vying for funding. I've given the names and dates of the missions, but read the whole article for the details.

Independent Online Edition > Science & Technology

The new race for space

Today, Britain's astronomers table plans for future missions, each vying for £450m from the European Space Agency. So will the quest for Earth's sister planet win? Or will it be the voyage to Jupiter's icy moon? Helen Brown profiles the top contenders.
Published: 26 July 2006

PROJECT NAME: DARWIN
Lead institution: The Open University
Aim: To find out if Earth-like planets orbiting nearby stars are capable of sustaining life
Ready for launch: 2015-2020 [....]

PROJECT: XEUS
Lead institution: University of Leicester
Aim: To study black holes
Ready for launch: 2017-2020 [....]

PROJECT: JUPITER/EUROPA
Lead institution: Imperial College, London
Aim: To discover if Jupiter's moon Europa is a potential habitat for life
Ready for launch: 2017 [....]

PROJECT: DUNE (DARK UNIVERSE EXPLORER)
Lead institution: University of Edinburgh
Aim: To measure the properties of "dark energy"
Ready for launch: 2015 [....]

PROJECT: LUNAR MISSION (WITH AIRLESS MICRO-PENETRATORS)
Lead institution: University College London
Aim: To penetrate the moon's surface and discover more about the lunar core
Ready for launch: 2015 [....]