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NASA disqualifies X-ray telescope from Probe mission competition
- NASA disqualified AXIS from the Astrophysics Probe Explorer competition, citing non-compliance with cost and schedule requirements.
- AXIS leader Christopher Reynolds blamed 2025 programmatic chaos and disruptions at Goddard Space Flight Center for missing cost and schedule targets.
- NASA said AXIS was not compliant with the 2023 Astrophysics Probe Explorer Announcement of Opportunity.
- PRIMA remains the only finalist for the Probe mission after AXIS’s disqualification.
- The two finalists, AXIS and PRIMA, were selected for one-year concept studies with a $5 million contract each.
- Goddard Space Flight Center disruptions and staff losses contributed to formulation delays for AXIS.
- A government shutdown and budget proposals further limited AXIS engineering access during reform efforts.
- AXIS’s technology and science were acknowledged as strong by Reynolds despite disqualification.
- NASA plans to share details about future opportunities for the X-ray astronomy community after AXIS’s exit.
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