The ambitious Mars Sample Return project is on hold due to escalating costs and an unrealistic timeline.
NASA is calling on industry players to come up with an alternative plan to return rocky samples from Mars at a lower cost and an earlier date. The space agency has been struggling with its Mars Sample Return mission, an ambitious plan to pick up Martian dust and rocks collected by the Perseverance rover and drop it off on Earth.
In April, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson revealed that the Mars Sample Return mission needs an additional $250 million in the current fiscal year, plus another $250 million in 2024, to stay on track for launch in 2028. “It is possible to bring the samples back quicker than 2040, it just requires a much higher annual budget,” Fox said. “That does not fit with the current environment that we have.” NASA’s 2024 budget was $2.
Mars Mars Sample-Return Mission Bill Nelson Sample-Return Mission NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return Nicky Fox Mars Exploration Program Perseverance Gizmodo
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