NASA updates Mars Sample Return mission
(MENAFN) NASA reveals updates to its Mars Sample Return Program, focusing on streamlining the mission, lowering expenses, and accelerating the timeline for delivering Martian soil samples to Earth.
The original design, which involved deploying multiple spacecraft, is being revised to overcome technical and budgetary hurdles.
On Tuesday, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced that two new options are under consideration for the spacecraft responsible for landing on Mars and retrieving samples.
One approach includes adopting a landing technique similar to the systems used for the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers, which rely on rockets to decelerate and a sky crane to gently lower the spacecraft onto the Martian surface. The other possibility involves partnering with private space companies to develop an entirely new lander.
The Mars Sample Return Program, in the works for over two decades, aims to collect and return soil and rock samples gathered by the Perseverance rover, which has been exploring Mars since its 2021 landing.
Perseverance is currently investigating an ancient river delta within a 45-kilometer (28-mile) basin located north of the Martian equator, where it has been storing collected samples.
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