NASA: More Time Needed To Plan Mars Sample Return

Space agency is weighing two options to return samples from the Red Planet—one using NASA-proven technology and another that seeks help from the industry.

Tuesday, January 07, 2025 at 05:04 PM ET

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NASA’s Perseverance rover has so far collected 28 tubes of Martian rock and soil samples awaiting delivery to Earth for research. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

NASA will delay its final decision on the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission profile until mid-2026, aiming to return samples to Earth in the 2030s.
The agency is evaluating two architectures: one using NASA's proven Sky Crane technology and another leveraging commercial heavy lander capabilities.
Both proposed options incorporate redesigned components to simplify the mission, reduce costs (estimated between $5.8 billion and $7.7 billion), and accelerate the sample return timeline to as early as 2035.
NASA is requesting at least $300 million for the MSR program in fiscal year 2025, emphasizing that increased funding could further expedite the mission.

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NASA has set a goal to return rock and soil samples from the surface of Mars in the 2030s. The mission would represent the first time scientific samples from another planet have been returned to Earth. But the space agency said it needs another year to determine how to do it.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Nicky Fox, associate administrator for the space agency’s Science Mission Directorate, on Tuesday said officials would not decide on a Mars Sample Return mission profile until mid-2026, at the earliest. The space agency will weigh two different options, or “landing architectures”—one that would use NASA-proven technology and another that would enlist commercial partners.

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.