Unraveling the Mystery of STEP Mission: What Happened and What's Next?

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The STEP mission aimed to test the Equivalence Principle with unprecedented precision, potentially confirming or violating established theories in fundamental physics. Its cancellation has raised questions about future similar experiments, with speculation that funding issues may have played a role. The mission's success could have significant implications for gravitation theory, cosmology, and our understanding of the universe's evolution. A null result would impose constraints on new theories, while a positive outcome could indicate a new force of nature. The future of such groundbreaking research remains uncertain.
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"STEP" mission

Does anybody know why http://einstein.stanford.edu/STEP/" was canceled, and if any similar one is planned for next years?

STEP will advance the testing of the Equivalence Principle from several parts in 1013 to 1 part in 1018. Whether it confirms Equivalence five to six orders of magnitude more precisely than known today or discovers a violation, it will be a landmark experiment in Fundamental Physics, with consequences extending from gravitation theory to cosmology to theories of the evolution of the Universe. It will probe a large and otherwise inaccessible domain in the parameter space of new interactions. A null result would remain for many years a severe constraint on new theories. A positive result would constitute the discovery of a new force of Nature.
 
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No idea, but if I had to guess I would say it was canceled due to funding issues.
 

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