Ice Giants Remain Unsolved: Why Uranus and Neptune Need a Return Mission

Voyager 2’s 1986 and 1989 flybys gave the first close look at Uranus and Neptune, but no orbiter has followed to study them over time. Key questions about their interiors, the peculiar tilted and offset magnetic fields, and the small, elusive rings and moons remain, in part because a flyby captures only a moment. A future Uranus Orbiter and Probe could map gravity and magnetism, monitor atmospheres, and test for subsurface oceans, advancing our understanding of ice giants and informing exoplanet science.