NASA looks for new ways to return Martian samples to Earth due to budget cuts

The rover, which landed on Mars in February 2021, has been gathering specimens from Jezero Crater, where an ancient lake and river delta once existed on the red planet.

But there have been concerns about the program being too unwieldy due to complexity, expense and a delayed return date, which was originally expected to happen by 2031, but has been pushed after assessments by an independent review board.

But NASA is being forced to deal with the constraints of reduced spending due to budget cuts for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years, causing the agency to take a US$2.5 billion hit, he said.

While Nelson is hopeful that the budget for fiscal year 2026 won’t be as constrained, opening up more science funding for NASA, it doesn’t solve the immediate problem of how to address moving forward with Mars Sample Return.

Agency officials will soon announce solicitations to NASA centers and industry to develop a new plan that combines innovation with lessons learned from proven technology, according to Fox.

Meanwhile, the current decisions won’t affect the scientific plan for Perseverance’s journey on Mars, and the rover continues to collect samples as it explores the crater rim, Fox said.