NASA could finally return to Uranus in 2030 thanks to rare planetary alignment

Uranus is one of the least explored planets in our Solar System, but now NASA has revealed that it could soon return to the planet.

NASA last visited Uranus in 1986, when its Voyager-2 spacecraft made a brief fly-by of the planet.

Now, the space agency has discovered a rare opportunity to revisit the ice-giant, thanks to an upcoming planetary alignment.

In the early 2030s, Neptune, Uranus and Jupiter are set to align in a way that would allow a spacecraft to slingshot around Jupiter on its way to Uranus.

According to Nature , this would reduce the travel time, and allow a spacecraft to arrive at Uranus in around 15 years.

Speaking at a meeting this week, Mark Hofstadter, a planetary scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, explained that the window is ‘the right time to launch’.

He added: “We don’t want to miss this one.”

Uranus (NASA/Space Telescope Science Institute)

While 2030 sounds far away, in terms of preparing a new mission, timing is tight.

A flagship mission is likely to cost billions, and typically takes seven to 10 years to prepare, according to Nature.

While NASA hasn’t been to Uranus since 1986, it is launching the James Webb Space Telescope next year, which will study the planet - albeit from afar.

This is what would happen if an Asteroid hit earth

NASA explained: “Webb will give insight into the powerful seasonal forces driving the formation of its clouds and weather, and how this is changing with time.

“It will help determine how energy flows and is transported through the Uranian atmosphere. Scientists want to watch Uranus throughout Webb’s life, to build up a timeline of how the atmosphere responds to the extreme seasons.

“That will help them understand why this planet’s atmosphere seems to go through periods of intense activity punctuated by moments of calm.”