The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has planned two new strategies to bring crucial samples from Mars to Earth, aiming for a return by the 2030s.
These proposals offer alternatives to the original Mars Sample Return programme – a collaborative project between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). The initial plan, projected to cost up to $11 billion, faced an independent review that considered it too complex and costly. It also pushed the expected sample return between 2031 and 2040, a delay considered “simply unacceptable” by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
The two new strategies are expected to return the samples to Earth between 2035 and 2039, with costs ranging from $5.5 billion to $7.7 billion, a significant reduction from the original plan.
Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, explained, “We are exploring two new landing options. One is to leverage technology used for the Perseverance and Curiosity rover landings, and the other involves new commercial capabilities from industry partners.”
The first strategy would use the sky crane method, which was successful in landing Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. The second option would involve commercial partners, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, delivering a “heavy-lift vehicle” lander to Mars. These methods aim to overcome Mars' thin atmosphere, which makes landings challenging due to insufficient air density for parachutes alone to slow down spacecraft.
NASA will decide on the new strategies, designed to reduce complexity, cost and duration, by mid-2026, Mr Nelson announced during a news conference. The Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in February 2021, has been gathering samples from Jezero Crater, believed to hold vital clues about the potential for life on Mars. But bringing the specimens back to Earth is a complex endeavour, requiring multiple spacecraft for landing and transportation.
Both strategies retain a similar core architecture. A Mars Ascent Vehicle, loaded with samples collected by Perseverance, will land on Mars. After lifting off, it will rendezvous with ESA's Earth Return Orbiter in orbit around Mars, which will then return the samples to Earth. Unlike the original plan, NASA has chosen for the direct return of the samples to Earth, bypassing extra steps to retrieve them from lunar orbit.
Mr Nelson noted that the incoming administration, led by President-elect Donald Trump, will ultimately decide on funding and the future of the programme. Although Mr Nelson has not yet discussed the new proposals with Jared Isaacman, Trump's pick to lead NASA, he said it was important to offer multiple options for Mars sample return.
