NASA is preparing a new plan to bring samples from Mars to Earth

The NASA has launched a new initiative to advance the return to Earth of samples collected on Mars by the Perseverance rover. The project will seek to define a strategy to carry out the mission, after previous assessments warned about its high costs and technical difficulties.

The initiative is called Perseverance Sample Retrieval Architecture (PSRA) and was announced on November 9 by Tiffany Morgan, director of the agency's Mars Exploration Program. The team will begin work in January 2027 and must present its recommendations during the winter of 2027-2028.

What the new NASA plan proposes for bringing samples from Mars

The goal of the PSRA is to develop independent recommendations on the best way to recover and transport the Martian samples collected by Perseverance. The group will also need to evaluate the mission requirements and the available technical alternatives.

Among the planned tasks are:

• Analyze the available technological capabilities for the transfer.

• Evaluate different contracting and procurement options.

• Consider the experience gained from previous projects.

• Define the necessary requirements to develop the mission.

• Present impartial recommendations on how to recover the samples.

The announcement was made during a virtual meeting of the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group. The information was published by the specialized media Space.com.

What samples did the Perseverance rover collect on Mars

The Perseverance rover has been working in the Jezero crater since February 2021, when it landed on the Martian surface. Since then, it has been collecting selected materials and storing them in sealed tubes.

Some of those samples have been left on the surface of Mars, while others remain stored inside the vehicle itself. The materials could contain clues of past life on the planet, one of the main scientific objectives of their recovery.

How much would it cost to bring the samples from Mars and when could they arrive

The Mars Sample Return program, aimed at transporting Martian materials to Earth, has received various independent assessments that pointed out budget and timeline issues.

One analysis estimated that the mission could cost around 11 billion dollars and would allow for the samples to be recovered only in 2040. NASA considered that alternative too costly and the proposed timelines unacceptable.

Another evaluation group proposed a faster possibility: to achieve the return in 2035, with an estimated budget of approximately 8 billion dollars.

The new NASA initiative will seek to define a strategy that allows progress in the face of these challenges. For now, no definitive date has been announced for the return of the samples.

China is also preparing a mission to bring samples from Mars

While NASA reviews its strategy, China is advancing with the development of Tianwen-3, a mission that also aims to recover materials from the red planet.

According to the China National Space Administration, the launch is tentatively scheduled for 2028. The project plans to use two Long March-5 rockets and carry out the return of approximately 500 grams of Martian samples in 2031.

If these plans are realized, China could complete the recovery of samples before the estimated dates in the previous evaluations of the U.S. program.