{"id":44534,"date":"2025-01-09T21:02:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T13:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/nasa-defers-decision-on-mars-sample-return-to-the-trump-administration\/"},"modified":"2025-01-09T21:02:04","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T13:02:04","slug":"nasa-defers-decision-on-mars-sample-return-to-the-trump-administration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/nasa-defers-decision-on-mars-sample-return-to-the-trump-administration\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA defers decision on Mars Sample Return to the Trump administration"},"content":{"rendered":"

For nearly four years, NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover has journeyed across an unexplored patch of land on Mars\u2014once home to an ancient river delta\u2014and collected a slew of rock samples sealed inside cigar-sized titanium tubes.<\/p>\n

These tubes might contain tantalizing clues about past life on Mars, but NASA\u2019s ever-changing plans to bring them back to Earth are still unclear.<\/p>\n

On Tuesday, NASA officials presented two options for retrieving and returning the samples gathered by the Perseverance rover. One alternative involves a conventional architecture reminiscent of past NASA Mars missions, relying on the \u201csky crane\u201d landing system demonstrated on the agency\u2019s two most recent Mars rovers. The other option would be to outsource the lander to the space industry.<\/p>\n

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson left a final decision on a new mission architecture to the next NASA administrator working under the incoming Trump administration. President-elect Donald Trump nominated entrepreneur and commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman as the agency\u2019s 15th administrator last month.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is going to be a function of the new administration in order to fund this,\u201d said Nelson, a former Democratic senator from Florida who will step down from the top job at NASA on January 20.<\/p>\n

The question now is: will they? And if the Trump administration moves forward with Mars Sample Return (MSR), what will it look like? Could it involve a human mission to Mars instead of a series of robotic spacecraft?<\/p>\n

The Trump White House is expected to emphasize \u201cresults and speed\u201d with NASA\u2019s space programs, with the goal of accelerating a crew landing on the Moon and sending people to explore Mars.<\/p>\n

NASA officials had an earlier plan to bring the Mars samples back to Earth, but the program slammed into a budgetary roadblock last year when an independent review team concluded the existing architecture would cost up to $11 billion\u2014double the previous cost projection\u2014and wouldn\u2019t get the Mars specimens back to Earth until 2040.<\/p>\n

,<\/p>\n

This budget and schedule were non-starters for NASA. The agency tasked government labs, research institutions, and commercial companies to come up with better ideas to bring home the roughly 30 sealed sample tubes carried aboard the Perseverance rover. NASA deposited 10 sealed tubes on the surface of Mars a couple of years ago as insurance in case Perseverance dies before the arrival of a retrieval mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to have the quickest, cheapest way to get these 30 samples back,\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n

How much for these rocks?<\/h2>\n

NASA officials said they believe a stripped-down concept proposed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which previously was in charge of the over-budget Mars Sample Return mission architecture, would cost between $6.6 billion and $7.7 billion, according to Nelson. JPL\u2019s previous approach would have put a heavier lander onto the Martian surface, with small helicopter drones that could pick up sample tubes if there were problems with the Perseverance rover.<\/p>\n

NASA previously deleted a \u201cfetch rover\u201d from the MSR architecture and instead will rely on Perseverance to hand off sample tubes to the retrieval lander.<\/p>\n

An alternative approach would use a (presumably less expensive) commercial heavy lander, but this concept would still utilize several elements NASA would likely develop in a more traditional government-led manner: a nuclear power source, a robotic arm, a sample container, and a rocket to launch the samples off the surface of Mars and back into space. The cost range for this approach extends from $5.1 billion to $7.1 billion.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Artist\u2019s illustration of SpaceX\u2019s Starship approaching Mars.<\/p>\n

Credit:
\n SpaceX<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

JPL will have a \u201ckey role\u201d in both paths for MSR, said Nicky Fox, head of NASA\u2019s science mission directorate. \u201cTo put it really bluntly, JPL is our Mars center in NASA science.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the Trump administration moves forward with either of the proposed MSR plans, this would be welcome news for JPL. The center, which is run by the California Institute of Technology under contract to NASA, laid off 955 employees and contractors last year, citing budget uncertainty, primarily due to the cloudy future of Mars Sample Return.<\/p>\n

,<\/p>\n

Without MSR, engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory don\u2019t have a flagship-class mission to build after the launch of NASA\u2019s Europa Clipper spacecraft last year. The lab recently struggled with rising costs and delays with the previous iteration of MSR and NASA\u2019s Psyche asteroid mission, and it\u2019s not unwise to anticipate more cost overruns on a project as complex as a round-trip flight to Mars.<\/p>\n

Ars submitted multiple requests to interview Laurie Leshin, JPL\u2019s director, in recent months to discuss the lab\u2019s future, but her staff declined.<\/p>\n

Both MSR mission concepts outlined Tuesday would require multiple launches and an Earth return orbiter provided by the European Space Agency. These options would bring the Mars samples back to Earth as soon as 2035, but perhaps as late as 2039, Nelson said. The return orbiter and sample retrieval lander could launch as soon as 2030 and 2031, respectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe main difference is in the landing mechanism,\u201d Fox said.<\/p>\n

To keep those launch schedules, Congress must immediately approve $300 million for Mars Sample Return in this year\u2019s budget, Nelson said.<\/p>\n

NASA officials didn\u2019t identify any examples of a commercial heavy lander that could reach Mars, but the most obvious vehicle is SpaceX\u2019s Starship. NASA already has a contract with SpaceX to develop a Starship vehicle that can land on the Moon, and SpaceX founder Elon Musk is aggressively pushing for a Mars mission with Starship as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

NASA solicited eight studies from industry earlier this year. SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, and Lockheed Martin\u2014each with their own lander concepts\u2014were among the companies that won NASA study contracts. SpaceX and Blue Origin are well-capitalized with Musk and Amazon\u2019s Jeff Bezos as owners, while Lockheed Martin is the only company to have built a lander that successfully reached Mars.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This slide from a November presentation to the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group shows JPL\u2019s proposed \u201csky crane\u201d architecture for a Mars sample retrieval lander. The landing system would be modified to handle a load about 20 percent heavier than the sky crane used for the Curiosity and Perseverance rover landings.<\/p>\n

Credit:
\n NASA\/JPL<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

The science community has long identified a Mars Sample Return mission as the top priority for NASA\u2019s planetary science program. In the National Academies\u2019 most recent decadal survey released in 2022, a panel of researchers recommended NASA continue with the MSR program but stated the program\u2019s cost should not undermine other planetary science missions.<\/p>\n

,<\/p>\n

Teeing up for cancellation?<\/h2>\n

That\u2019s exactly what is happening. Budget pressures from the Mars Sample Return mission, coupled with funding cuts stemming from a bipartisan federal budget deal in 2023, have prompted NASA\u2019s planetary science division to institute a moratorium on starting new missions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe decision about Mars Sample Return is not just one that affects Mars exploration,\u201d said Curt Niebur, NASA\u2019s lead scientist for planetary flight programs, in a question-and-answer session with solar system researchers Tuesday. \u201cIt\u2019s going to affect planetary science and the planetary science division for the foreseeable future. So I think the entire science community should be very tuned in to this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rocket Lab, which has been more open about its MSR architecture than other companies, has posted details of its sample return concept on its website. Fox declined to offer details on other commercial concepts for MSR, citing proprietary concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can wait another year, or we can get started now,\u201d Rocket Lab posted on X. \u201cOur Mars Sample Return architecture will put Martian samples in the hands of scientists faster and more affordably. Less than $4 billion, with samples returned as early as 2031.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through its own internal development and acquisitions of other aerospace industry suppliers, Rocket Lab said it has provided components for all of NASA\u2019s recent Mars missions. \u201cWe can deliver MSR mission success too,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Rocket Lab\u2019s concept for a Mars Sample Return mission.<\/p>\n

Credit:
\n Rocket Lab<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n

Although NASA\u2019s deferral of a decision on MSR to the next administration might convey a lack of urgency, officials said the agency and potential commercial partners need time to assess what roles the industry might play in the MSR mission.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey need to flesh out all of the possibilities of what\u2019s required in the engineering for the commercial option,\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n

On the program\u2019s current trajectory, Fox said NASA would be able to choose a new MSR architecture in mid-2026.<\/p>\n

,<\/p>\n

Waiting, rather than deciding on an MSR plan now, will also allow time for the next NASA administrator and the Trump White House to determine whether either option aligns with the administration\u2019s goals for space exploration. In an interview with Ars last week, Nelson said he did not want to \u201cput the new administration in a box\u201d with any significant MSR decisions in the waning days of the Biden administration.<\/p>\n

One source with experience in crafting and implementing US space policy told Ars that Nelson\u2019s deferral on a decision will \u201ctee up MSR for canceling.\u201d Faced with a decision to spend billions of dollars on a robotic sample return or billions of dollars to go toward a human mission to Mars, the Trump administration will likely choose the latter, the source said.<\/p>\n

If that happens, NASA science funding could be freed up for other pursuits in planetary science. The second priority identified in the most recent planetary decadal survey is an orbiter and atmospheric probe to explore Uranus and its icy moons. NASA has held off on the development of a Uranus mission to focus on the Mars Sample Return first.<\/p>\n

Science and geopolitics<\/h2>\n

Whether it\u2019s with robots or humans, there\u2019s a strong case for bringing pristine Mars samples back to Earth. The titanium tubes carried by the Perseverance rover contain rock cores, loose soil, and air samples from the Martian atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cBringing them back will revolutionize our understanding of the planet Mars and indeed, our place in the solar system,\u201d Fox said. \u201cWe explore Mars as part of our ongoing efforts to safely send humans to explore farther and farther into the solar system, while also \u2026 getting to the bottom of whether Mars once supported ancient life and shedding light on the early solar system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Researchers can perform more detailed examinations of Mars specimens in sophisticated laboratories on Earth than possible with the miniature instruments delivered to the red planet on a spacecraft. Analyzing samples in a terrestrial lab might reveal biosignatures, or the traces of ancient life, that elude detection with instruments on Mars.<\/p>\n

,<\/p>\n

\u201cThe samples that we have taken by Perseverance actually predate\u2014they are older than any of the samples or rocks that we could take here on Earth,\u201d Fox said. \u201cSo it allows us to kind of investigate what the early solar system was like before life began here on Earth, which is amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fox said returning Mars samples before a human expedition would help NASA prioritize where astronauts should land on the red planet.<\/p>\n

In a statement, the Planetary Society said it is \u201cconcerned that NASA is again delaying a decision on the program, committing only to additional concept studies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been more than two years since NASA paused work on MSR,\u201d the Planetary Society said. \u201cIt is time to commit to a path forward to ensure the return of the samples already being collected by the Perseverance rover.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe urge the incoming Trump administration to expedite a decision on a path forward for this ambitious project, and for Congress to provide the funding necessary to ensure the return of these priceless samples from the Martian surface.\u201d<\/p>\n

China says it is developing its own mission to bring Mars rocks back to Earth. Named Tianwen-3, the mission could launch as soon as 2028 and return samples to Earth by 2031. While NASA\u2019s plan would bring back carefully curated samples from an expansive environment that may have once harbored life, China\u2019s mission will scoop up rocks and soil near its landing site.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just going to have a mission to grab and go\u2014go to a landing site of their choosing, grab a sample and go,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cThat does not give you a comprehensive look for the scientific community. So you cannot compare the two missions. Now, will people say that there\u2019s a race? Of course, people will say that, but it\u2019s two totally different missions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Nelson said he wants NASA to be first. He said he has not had detailed conversations with Trump\u2019s NASA transition team.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was a responsible thing to do, not to hand the new administration just one alternative if they want to have a Mars Sample Return,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cI can\u2019t imagine that they don\u2019t. I don\u2019t think we want the only sample return coming back on a Chinese spacecraft.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For nearly four years, NASA\u2019s Perseverance rover has journeyed across an unexplored patch of land on Mars\u2014once home to an ancient river delta\u2014and collected a slew of rock samples sealed inside cigar-sized titanium tubes. These tubes might contain tantalizing clues about past life on Mars, but NASA\u2019s ever-changing plans to bring them back to Earth […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44535,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1183,367,1214,190,1561,1563],"class_list":["post-44534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-jet-propulsion-laboratory","tag-mars","tag-mars-sample-return","tag-nasa","tag-planetary-science","tag-solar-system"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44534"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44534\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44535"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}