Discovery
NASA eyes private space companies to cut Mars rock retrieval costs
SpaceX and Blue Origin have already expressed an interest, but other firms could participate as well, according to outgoing NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
![NASA's Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image of the area in front of it using its onboard Front Right Hazard Avoidance Camera A. This image was acquired on March 31, 2023. [NASA/JPL-Caltech]](/gc8/images/2025/01/08/48734-mars-sample-19_copy-370_237.webp)
By BlueShift and AFP |
WASHINGTON -- NASA may turn to private companies such as SpaceX or Blue Origin to help reduce the costs of returning Martian rocks collected by the Perseverance rover to Earth.
Originally planned to deliver 30 sample tubes to Earth by the 2030s, the Mars Sample Return mission has faced rising expenses and delays, prompting the US space agency to explore more streamlined solutions.
Outgoing NASA Administrator Bill Nelson revealed January 7 that the agency is evaluating two potential architectures for landing a robotic platform on Mars, with a final decision expected in mid-2026.
The first option uses NASA's tried-and-true Sky Crane system, a robotic jetpack that famously lowered the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers onto the Martian surface in 2012 and 2021, respectively.
The second involves a "heavy lift lander" developed by a commercial partner to place the necessary hardware on the surface.
"You all know that SpaceX and Blue Origin have already been ones that have expressed an interest, but it could be others as well," said Nelson.
Under both scenarios, the lander would carry a scaled-down Mars Ascent Vehicle -- a lightweight rocket designed to launch samples into Mars orbit.
There, the Earth Return Orbiter, being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), would intercept the payload for the journey back to Earth.
Planning to use nuclear battery
NASA is also revising its power strategy for the lander. Instead of solar panels, which are vulnerable to Mars's dust storms, the agency plans to use a nuclear battery for heat and energy.
With the Sky Crane option, NASA estimates expenses could range from $6.6 billion to $7.7 billion -- far less than the $11 billion projected under the original plan, as reported in an independent audit.
Partnering with commercial providers could reduce costs further, to between $5.8 billion and $7.1 billion, with the return expected between 2035-2039, compared to 2040 under the original plan.
The mission's timeline depends on variables like annual congressional funding and whether NASA and ESA opt for a direct Mars-to-Earth flight or a detour to a "cislunar orbit" around the Moon, where samples would need retrieval.
Perseverance landed on Mars in 2021 to search for evidence of ancient microbial life from billions of years ago, when the planet was warmer and wetter.