Mars Sample Return – Spaceflight Now

As it happened: NASA announces new path options for Mars Sample Return mission

January 7, 2025 Will Robinson-Smith

NASA put out a call in 2024 for proposals from industry and NASA centers for how to retrieve samples from the Martian surface in a cheaper way and on a shorter timeline.

Nelson: Decision on Mars Sample Return expected before new administration takes office

December 27, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said teams were meeting at the Kennedy Space Center on Friday, Dec. 20, to make some of the final determinations about how they will return dozens of samples from the Red Planet.

News from the Press Site: NASA explores new path for Mars Sample Return, Dragonfly mission to Titan gets green light

April 22, 2024 Will Robinson-Smith

Joining the video podcast on Friday, April 19, in this episode were Marina Koren, staff writer for The Atlantic, and Jack Kuhr, research editor for Payload Space.

NASA begins to chart path forward on its Mars Sample Return architecture following independent review

October 24, 2023 Will Robinson-Smith

NASA is aiming to make a determination about the path forward for Mars Sample Return by the end of March 2024.

Northrop Grumman to supply solid rocket motors for first Mars Ascent Vehicle

March 29, 2021 Stephen Clark

NASA awarded Northrop Grumman a contract worth as much as $84.5 million earlier this month to supply rocket motors for a first-of-its-kind launch vehicle to fire a capsule of rock samples off of Mars on a journey back to Earth.

NASA primed for historic flight of experimental Mars helicopter

March 26, 2021 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Perseverance rover will soon release a small rotorcraft onto the surface of Mars and drive a safe distance away to observe a series of historic test flights in the ultra-thin Martian atmosphere, which could begin around April 8, officials said this week.

Perseverance rover aces first test drive on Mars

March 5, 2021 Stephen Clark

Two weeks into its mission of exploration on Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover is doing an “exceptional job” and has completed its first test drive, mission managers said Friday.

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter camera spots Perseverance rover after landing

March 5, 2021 Stephen Clark

A high-resolution camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted the Perseverance rover after landing on the Red Planet last month, showing the nuclear-powered robot sitting on the Martian surface with its supersonic parachute and other landing system components scattered nearby.

NASA releases first-of-its-kind high-definition video of Mars rover landing

February 22, 2021 Stephen Clark

NASA officials released never-before-seen views of a spacecraft landing on another planet Monday, showcasing multi-angle replays recorded by ruggedized high-definition cameras mounted on the Perseverance rover last week when it safely touched down on Mars.

First images of Mars rover landing just a taste of what’s to come

February 19, 2021 Stephen Clark

The first picture of NASA’s Perseverance rover landing on Mars shows the nuclear-powered robot suspended under its rocket jetpack just before touchdown. The spectacular view could be upstaged next week with the release of a first-of-its-kind high-definition video replay of the rover’s final descent.