NASA’s long-planned Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, which aimed to collect and return samples from the Red Planet, is facing an uncertain future due to escalating costs and delays. The mission, which had been in development for nearly 50 years, was initially set to launch in the mid-2030s but now may not happen as planned.
In a recent press conference, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson acknowledged that the mission’s costs have ballooned to $11 billion, and it would take until at least 2040 to return the samples. However, Nelson has since pulled the plug on the mission as currently envisioned, citing the need for a major rethink.
Despite this setback, NASA is exploring alternative solutions, including partnering with private companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin to provide hardware and funding for the mission. The agency is also considering keeping more of the work in-house, using a “sky crane” system to land smaller vehicles on Mars.
Nelson believes that flying cheaper means flying sooner, and he projects that the missions could begin as early as 2030. However, politics will play a role in determining the future of the mission, with the outgoing NASA team having not yet discussed it with President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for the next NASA administrator.
The MSR mission was initially designed to be a “grab-and-go” mission, where a single spacecraft would collect samples and return them to Earth. However, the complexity of the mission and its costs have made this approach impractical. Instead, NASA is considering alternative solutions that would involve partnering with private companies or keeping more of the work in-house.
Overall, while the future of the MSR mission remains uncertain, Nelson remains hopeful that it can be revived in some form.
Source: https://time.com/7206493/nasa-mars-rover-sample-mission-at-risk