>>13489338>>13489300NASA actually tries to combat the “flagship” mindset with its planetary exploration programs.
>Discovery ProgramCheapest and fastest planetary and space probes. They tend to cap out at $600 million and take a max of 4 or so years to prepare to launch.
>ExamplesKepler, InSight, Deep Impact, Lucy, Psyche, GRAIL, Pathfinder (mars lander), NEAR Shoemaker, Dawn, MESSENGER, VERITAS, Davinci+
>New Frontiers programMore expensive and more complicated. These missions tend to be overall more insane than the discovery program’s but they’re still done concisely. Budget is around $800 million per mission but can cap out at $1 billion
>ExamplesOsiris-REX, Juno, New Horizons, DragonFly (upcoming)
>Flagship ProgramThe biggest missions. No cost cap and they have the most ambitious goals. Only one launches per decade usually. Costs range from $2-$4 billion
>ExamplesCuriosity, Perseverance, Europa Clipper
