In April, when the NASA budget for 2024 was finally approved, the Mars Sample Return mission received a significant funding cut, and consequently an official postponement for the return of samples from Mars from the early 1930s to 2040.
The goal of Mars Sample Return is to recover samples of rocks, dust and atmosphere from Mars, which were collected by the Perseverance rover. This postponement therefore puts the mission itself in difficulty.
For this reason, together with the postponement to 2040, NASA announced in April that it would also consider alternative proposals from industry. On June 7, 7 companies were announced as having received a contract for a feasibility study on their proposed Martian sample recovery. The contract has a maximum value of 1.5 million and a fixed price method, and a duration of 90 days.
In addition to these seven companies, NASA has also selected NASA centers to propose alternative solutions to the one currently under construction for Mars Sample Return.
“Mars Sample Return will be one of the most complex missions NASA has ever undertaken, and it is critical that we complete it faster, with less risk, and at lower cost,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Selected preliminary studies
The selected NASA centers are the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. The selected companies and the title of their projects are:
- Lockheed Martin presented a study entitled: “Lockheed Martin Rapid Mission Design Studies for Mars Sample Return”.
- SpaceX presented a study entitled: “Enabling Mars Sample Return With Starship”.
- Aerojet Rocketdyne presented a study entitled: “A High-Performance Liquid Mars Ascent Vehicle, Using Highly Reliable and Mature Propulsion Technologies, to Improve Program Affordability and Schedule”.
- Blue Origin presented a study called: “Leveraging Artemis for Mars Sample Return”.
- Quantum Space presented a study called: “Quantum Anchor Leg Mars Sample Return Study”.
- Northrop Grumman presented a study entitled: “High TRL MAV Propulsion Trades and Concept Design for MSR Rapid Mission Design”.
- Whittinghill Aerospace presented a study entitled: “A Rapid Design Study for the MSR Single Stage Mars Ascent Vehicle”.
The Mars Sample Return mission is currently still an international collaboration and includes a contribution from the European Space Agency. It is therefore not certain that this contribution will be able to continue if the mission is integrated with an industrial contribution.
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