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After NASA solicited and then selected a new round of proposals for its Mars sample return program, a Freedom of Information request from an X user in Australia shared details of the agency’s selection process. NASA announced the list of finalists for the Mars sample return request earlier this month, and the list included big names in the space industry such as SpaceX and Lockheed Martin.
Now the document sheds more light on the details of their plans to bring back samples collected by the Perseverance rover from the surface of Mars, and within these details is a tentative timeline for SpaceX’s plans to land on Mars.
SpaceX offers NASA a Mars demonstration landing in 2029 for a sample return project
NASA issued the invitation for a new set of proposals to recover samples collected by Perseverance on Mars in April, after the previous project was criticized for its excessive costs. In response, the space agency received 48 proposals, seven of which were downgraded in June. In this list, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Lockheed Martin stood out from the rest because of their existing partnerships with NASA for the Artemis program. SpaceX is NASA’s top choice to land humans on the moon, with Blue Origin also winning a lunar lander contract.
SpaceX’s plan included using Starship for the Mars sample return, and the source selection document for the proposals shares additional details. These share that SpaceX plans to use Starship for all aspects of the journey to Mars. This includes take-off from Earth, transit into space, a landing on Mars and the final ascent before returning to Earth. NASA was particularly impressed with the “very strong team”, who not only has the necessary experience for the mission, but also “support” from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).
SpaceX has proposed a 2029 demonstration landing, with Starship also offering space for “ significantly greater mass/volume” for the lander and ascent vehicle, according to NASA.
While SpaceX’s proposal shared Starship as the vehicle of choice for the mission, Lockheed proposed a “end-to-end architecture assessment based on a commercial approachWhile this doesn’t specify a vehicle, Lockheed is NASA’s prime contractor for the Orion spacecraft, which has already flown to the moon once for the Artemis 1 mission. Lockheed also touted its “proven track record during multiple land and orbital missions[s]” to Mars in its proposal, and NASA agreed that the company has the right skills to carry out the complex mission.
As for Blue Origin, like SpaceX, it also plans to use its experience with the lunar lander mission to return the samples from Mars. The vehicle, called the Blue Mars Lander, impressed NASA with its goal of using only thrusters for the entry, descent and landing (EDL) phase of the mission. According to the space agency, this makes the vehicle relatively simple, because complex parts such as the heat shield, parachutes and airbags are not required.
Blue Origin also plans to work with the European Space Agency (ESA) on its Mars sample return proposal, relying on the agency’s Earth Return Orbiter (ERO). The plan calls for a single-engine vehicle to deliver the samples to the ERO, and proposes a 2033 return date with 30 samples.