NASA Advances Mars Sample Return Program with $10M in Contracts to Lockheed Martin, SpaceX

Jun 7, 2024, 10:11 PM

NASA is advancing its Mars Sample Return Program by initiating ten studies to explore more affordable and faster methods for returning samples from Mars to Earth. As part of this effort, NASA has awarded $10 million in contracts to several companies, including Blue Origin and SpaceX. Lockheed Martin has been selected to conduct a rapid study of mission designs and elements capable of delivering samples collected by the Mars Perseverance rover to Earth. SpaceX's proposal, titled 'Enabling Mars Sample Return with Starship,' is among the selected projects. The announcement was made in a NASA release on June 7, 2024.