Mars Sample Return
ESA awards Mars sample return study contracts as international cooperation plans take shape
The European Space Agency awarded two contracts to Airbus to study elements of a Mars sample return approach as the outlines of international cooperation with NASA on that effort materialize.
NASA continues Mars sample return mission studies
NASA doesn’t expect to make decisions on how it will carry out a Mars sample return effort until late next year despite recent discoveries that have offered additional evidence that the planet was once, and may still be, habitable.
Cracked heat shield won’t delay Mars 2020 mission
Development of a NASA mission to collect samples on Mars for later return to Earth has suffered a setback, although one that project officials said should not affect its 2020 launch date.
