South Korea advances Venus cubesat mission despite NASA cuts

South Korea has ordered its first cubesat to study Venus, marking a step forward in planetary research amid budget cuts affecting larger NASA missions. The cubesat, built by NanoAvionics, will study Venus' atmosphere from low Earth orbit, with the first launch planned for next year. This is part of a series of five satellites planned over 15 years to monitor the planet. This initiative comes as NASA faces potential cuts to its Venus exploration programs, including DAVINCI and VERITAS, and its involvement in the European Space Agency's EnVision mission.