Something very similar happens at observatories, where many worthwhile research projects compete for limited observing time and other resources,
Committees try to resolve these disputes but a lot of the decisions must appear arbitrary or unfair. And of course, an unscheduled astronomical event like Houmuamua or a nearby supernova throws the whole schedule into chaos. Meanwhile, the earth keeps rolling around the sun, and many worthy research projects slide away towards the western horizon or fall on cloudy nights. Then there are maintenance issues to deal with, equipment failures, personnel problems, etc.