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NASA unveils new plan to return Mars samples at lower cost and faster pace

courant.com — January 8, 2025 at 08:01 PM UTC

NASA has proposed a new plan to return rocks and soil from Mars that is cheaper and faster than the original $11 billion plan. Administrator Bill Nelson announced this change, aiming to bring samples back in the 2030s. The revised plan includes two options costing between $6 billion and $7 billion. Both options would keep the same number of spacecraft and launches but streamline the mission. One option uses a traditional landing method, while the other involves private companies. NASA's Perseverance rover has collected over two dozen samples since 2021. The new plan would clean the sample tubes on Mars and switch to nuclear power to withstand dust storms. A final decision on the plan will be made next year.

With a significance score of 5.1, this news ranks in the top 2% of today's 18017 analyzed articles.

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Timeline:

[5.4]

NASA updates Mars sample return mission plans and cuts costs (sltrib.com)

64d 2h

[5.3]

NASA cancels $11 billion Mars sample return plan and unveils new options (businessinsider.com)

64d 15h

[4.6]

NASA delays Mars Sample Return decision until new administration takes office (arstechnica.com)

64d 20h

[5.1]

NASA unveils new plan to return Mars samples at lower cost and faster pace (courant.com)

64d 20h

[4.7]

NASA to choose Mars sample return method by late 2026 after budget review (japanese.engadget.com)

65d 1h

[4.5]

NASA unveils new plan to reduce costs and time for Mars sample return mission (cnbctv18.com)

65d 8h

[4.7]

NASA unveils new plan to return Mars samples by 2030 under $7 billion budget (thehindu.com)

65d 10h

[4.6]

NASA delays Mars Sample Return decision to 2026 (astronomy.com)

65d 11h

[4.9]

NASA outlines cost-effective strategies for Mars sample return mission (aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org)

65d 12h

[5.2]

NASA updates Mars sample return plan to cut costs and complexity (nbcnews.com)

65d 12h

[4.6]

NASA unveils new plan to reduce costs and time for Mars sample return mission (triblive.com)

65d 15h

[4.5]

NASA explores options for Mars rock retrieval as competition with China intensifies (sciencealert.com)

65d 15h

[4.9]

NASA develops two plans to return Mars samples as costs rise (gizmodo.com)

65d 16h

[4.9]

NASA explores two methods for returning Mars samples over next 18 months (spacenews.com)

65d 17h

[5.0]

NASA unveils new plan to return Mars samples faster and cheaper (theglobeandmail.com)

65d 19h

[4.5]

NASA selects two options for revised Mars Sample Return mission (orlandosentinel.com)

65d 19h

[3.9]

NASA to reveal updates on Mars Sample Return mission plans (sciencealert.com)

66d 15h

[4.1]

NASA to update public on Mars Sample Return mission challenges tomorrow (iflscience.com)

66d 20h

[3.9]

NASA to update Mars Sample Return mission plans on January 7 (gizmodo.com)

67d 0h