NASA scientists have announced that the samples collected by the Perseverance rover on the planet Mars could be brought to Earth with the help of SpaceX or Blue Origin. Such a decision would mean lower costs for the US space agency.
The Mars Sample Return mission, designed to bring 30 tubes of Martian samples back to Earth by the 2030s, has faced delays and high costs over the years, prompting the US space agency to consider other options .
NASA’s announcement came as China moves confidently and swiftly toward a simpler mission to return samples from the Red Planet “around 2028,” according to state media. If it succeeds, China will thus become the first country in the world to bring samples from Mars to our planet.
A final decision, expected in 2026
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson revealed that the agency is evaluating two potential architectures for sending a robotic platform to Mars, with a final decision expected to be made in mid-2026, according to Phys.org.
Thus, the first option uses NASA’s already tested Sky Crane system, a robotic jetpack that landed the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers on the Martian surface in 2012 and 2021, respectively. The second option would be a large-tonnage probe developed by a commercial partner to send the necessary pieces of hardware to the Martian surface.
“You all know that SpaceX and Blue Origin have already expressed interest, but there could be others,” Nelson said.
NASA is revising the fueling strategy for the quench
In both scenarios, the launcher would carry a scaled-down Mars Ascent Vehicle — a lightweight rocket designed to launch samples into the Red Planet’s orbit.
From there, the Earth Return Orbiter, developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), would intercept the payload for the trip back to Earth.
NASA is also reviewing its refueling strategy. Instead of solar panels, which are vulnerable to dust storms on Mars, the US space agency plans to use a nuclear battery for heat and power.
China could bring samples from Mars years before NASA
With the Sky Crane option, NASA estimates costs from $6.6 billion to $7.7 billion, which is less than the $11 billion projected in the original plan.
Partnering with commercial suppliers could reduce costs even further, between $5.8 billion and $7.1 billion, with expected payback between 2035-2039, compared to 2040 under the original plan.
The mission’s timeline also depends on annual congressional funding, but also whether NASA and ESA opt for a direct flight from Mars to Earth or a detour to a “cislunar orbit” around the Moon, where the samples would need to be retrieved.
Meanwhile, China’s simpler mission could bring back samples from Mars years before NASA, which will be a significant victory.
Nelson tried to downplay comparisons between the two space programs and emphasized the complexity and scope of NASA’s effort. “You can’t compare the two – ours … is an extremely well-thought-out mission created by the world’s scientific community,” said the head of NASA.
The Perseverance rover arrived on the surface of Mars in 2021 in search of evidence of ancient microbial life trillions of years ago, when the planet was warmer and wetter.
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Source: www.descopera.ro
