NASA‘s Perseverance rover has been hard at work on Mars, collecting pieces of rock and storing them on the Red Planet. But back on Earth, the space agency is struggling to implement its plan to return Martian samples. After months of deliberation, NASA has decided to pursue two alternative paths for its Martian sample return program, one of which involves private sector assistance.
During a media briefing on Tuesday, NASA announced an unusual approach to its ambitious Martian sample return mission. The space agency will simultaneously use two different ways to deliver samples from another world to Earth. “Using two potential routes ensures that NASA will be able to return these samples from Mars with significant cost savings and reduced time compared to the previous plan,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
In April 2024, NASA asked the private sector to propose alternative ways to take Martian rock and dust from the Red Planet and deliver them to Earth. The space agency asked for proposals for a less complex mission architecture that would reduce the cost and allow samples to be delivered to Earth earlier. After five months, the agency received 11 studies from both the NASA community and industry players, and a team was formed to evaluate the best way to return the samples.
At this stage, NASA will consider “two different ways to land a payload platform on Mars,” the space agency writes. The first option involves the use of tried and tested means of landing on Mars using a celestial crane similar to those used by NASA’s rovers, while the other option involves choosing a new method developed by a commercial partner.
Both paths involve the use of a smaller version of the Mars Ascent Vehicle, a light rocket designed to launch a test tube with samples from Mars into orbit. Both missions will also rely on the European Space Agency’s orbiter, which is designed to capture the sample container in Mars orbit. The sample container will hold 30 tubes.
“NASA’s rovers endure the harsh conditions of Mars to collect groundbreaking scientific samples,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, in a statement. “We want to bring them back as soon as possible to study them in state-of-the-art laboratories.”
NASA is struggling with its Mars sample return mission, which has recently come under scrutiny for cost overruns and schedule delays. In September 2023, an independent review board (IRB) published a report on the mission, calling it an “extremely limited and challenging campaign” with “unrealistic budget and schedule expectations from the outset.” Initially, the mission was limited to a $7 billion budget to return the samples in the 2030s. However, it was later revealed that a budget of $11 billion was needed to return samples from Mars, with the samples expected to be returned by 2040. In light of this report, NASA began to consider an alternative architecture for its complex mission.
Despite its complexity, Mars Sample Return is an unprecedented opportunity to study samples from another world up close. “Mars Sample Return will allow scientists to understand the planet’s geologic history and climate evolution on this barren planet where life may have existed in the past, as well as shed light on the early solar system before life originated here on Earth,” Fox said. “It will also prepare us to safely send the first explorers to Mars.”
