Rocket Lab proposes $2B solution for faster Mars Sample Return as NASA reviews options

NASA is moving forward with critical decisions on its Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, aiming to reduce costs and expedite the return of samples from the Red Planet. On October 15, NASA received the final reports from 12 studies commissioned to explore alternative architectures.

Jeff Gramling, MSR program director, shared that these studies are now under review, with a decision expected by the end of 2024. The goal is to develop an approach that can bring back Martian samples by 2040, ideally within a budget of under $11 billion. This figure reflects the estimated cost and timeline of NASA’s current plan, according to a 2023 Independent Review Board assessment.

One of the most innovative proposals comes from Rocket Lab, which received a contract to study a design for a simplified, cost-effective mission. The company’s concept centers around two Neutron rockets, one launching an Earth Return Orbiter and another launching a lander carrying the Mars Ascent Vehicle. 

The lander would retrieve up to 30 sample tubes from NASA’s Perseverance rover, which has been on the Martian surface since 2021, and launch them into orbit, where the Earth Return Orbiter would capture them for the journey back. Rocket Lab said it would aim to return samples as early as 2031 for under $2 billion.

Rocket Lab’s growing experience in interplanetary missions strengthens its position as a major player in the MSR effort. The company has already been involved in NASA’s CAPSTONE lunar mission and the upcoming ESCAPADE mission to Mars.

“Rocket Lab has been methodically implementing a strategy for cost-effective planetary science in recent years, making us uniquely suited to deliver a low cost, rapid Mars Sample Return,” said Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck in a company statement. “We’ve demonstrated this strategy by delivering a NASA mission to the Moon, enabling rendezvous and proximity operations in orbit, successfully re-entering a capsule from orbit to Earth, delivering two spacecraft to NASA for a Mars mission, and much more. We look forward to bringing our proven capabilities together to deliver a compelling, innovative mission solution that puts Mars rocks in the hands of scientists sooner.”

The MSR program has faced challenges due to the complexity and cost of its original mission design, which involved three separate spacecraft. NASA’s initial plan included a lander, helicopters to fetch the samples, and a return orbiter. In April however, the agency announced it was seeking proposals from industry that could simplify and streamline the process, while maintaining scientific goals. Rocket Lab’s proposal was chosen along with those from seven other companies, including SpaceX and Lockheed Martin, as well as several from the NASA community.

By December, an MSR strategy review team led by former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is expected to evaluate these proposals and present a recommendation for the future of the mission. The final architecture could incorporate elements from multiple studies, with the aim of balancing cost, risk, and schedule.

“Mars Sample Return will require a diversity of opinions and ideas to do something we’ve never done before: launch a rocket off another planet and safely return samples to Earth from more than 33 million miles away,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in an agency news release. “It is critical that Mars Sample Return is done in a cost-effective and efficient way, and we look forward to learning the recommendations from the strategy review team to achieve our goals for the benefit of humanity.”