> I know there is a very good reason for this, but it seems like we're sending a lot of satellites to these moons and planets to perform VERY similar missions.

> I know there is a very good reason for this, but it seems like we're sending a lot of satellites to these moons and planets to perform VERY similar missions. Orbit around, take photos and readings. I think you're overly abstracting the missions. It may seem similar at such a high level, but the actual readings being taken are likely very different and require very different hardware.