An independent review board found that plans to return samples of Mars’ surface back to Earth face serious schedule and budget problems.
The Mars Perseverance rover, which landed on the planet in 2021, has already been tasked with collecting samples of rock, regolith and atmosphere that will ultimately be sent back with Nasa’s sample retrieval lander (SRL).
Expected to launch in 2028, the plan is to land the SRL on Mars where it will remain in place to receive the collection of samples collected by Perseverance. The lander would be the first to bring along a rocket and two helicopters that will be designed to send the samples into Mars’ orbit to meet the earth return orbiter, which would then take the samples the rest of the way home.
But the review board identified a number of issues with the current plan that could hamper efforts to retrieve the samples unless a thorough revamp of the project is carried out.
It said the plan had “unrealistic budget and schedule expectations” from the beginning and there were still major uncertainties about the performance of the launch vehicles.
It also warned of a number of other impediments, such as the dust storm season on Mars that restricts the timing of any possible launches from its surface, the longevity of Perseverance itself and ageing Mars telecommunications infrastructure that will be critical if Nasa is to maintain communication with key elements of the mission.
It concluded that a successful operation would require a massive expansion in funding for the project, as current funds are simply not enough.
The sample return represents the critical next step in Nasa’s future plans for more in-depth exploration of the planet.
US and European orbiters and US rovers have found promising sites where life might once have existed. But detailed study of Martian soil samples are essential if key scientific and existential questions about whether the planet once hosted life are to be addressed.
China has also announced plans for a Mars sample return mission (Tianwen-3) that it claims will be launched in 2028 or 2030.
The review panel warned that these plans “challenge the USA’s technical, engineering and scientific leadership in Mars exploration”.
In early tests, Perseverance generated around 122g of breathable oxygen – enough to sustain a human for three hours on the Red Planet.
