NASA, Under Bill Nelson, Revises Mars Mission to Cut Costs from $11 Billion

Apr 15, 2024, 06:51 PM

NASA is revising its Mars Sample Return (MSR) program, led by Administrator Bill Nelson, in response to an independent review that highlighted the prohibitive costs and extended timelines associated with the current mission design. The review estimated the program could cost up to $11 billion, prompting NASA to seek alternatives to reduce the budget to approximately $5.9 billion, as originally recommended in the NSF Decadal Survey. The agency is now soliciting ideas from JPL, other NASA centers, and the private sector for more cost-effective and timely mission designs, involving samples collected by the Perseverance rover. Although launches were initially planned for the 2027-2028 timeframe, the new goal is to ensure the return of samples in the 2030s, rather than 2040 or later.