NASA unveils new plan to return Mars samples by 2030 under $7 billion budget
NASA has proposed a new plan to return samples from Mars by 2030, aiming to reduce costs to under $7 billion. This comes after the original plan's budget ballooned to $11 billion and faced delays. Administrator Bill Nelson announced the revised plan on January 7, 2025, before his departure. NASA is considering two options that would streamline the mission while maintaining the same number of spacecraft and launches. The new approach includes cleaning sample tubes on Mars and using nuclear power instead of solar to withstand dust storms. A final decision on the plan will be made next year after further engineering studies.