Mars sample-return mission
Mars mission to collect rock and dust samples / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A Mars sample-return (MSR) mission is a proposed mission to collect rock and dust samples on Mars and return them to Earth.[1] Such a mission would allow more extensive analysis than that allowed by onboard sensors.[2]
Risks of cross-contamination of the Earth biosphere from returned Martian samples have been raised, though the risk of this occurring is considered to be low.[3]
The most recent concepts are a NASA-ESA proposal; a CNSA proposal, Tianwen-3; a Roscosmos proposal, Mars-Grunt; and a JAXA proposal, Martian Moons eXploration (MMX). Although NASA and ESA's plans to return the samples to Earth are still in the design stage as of 2023[update], samples have been gathered on Mars by the Perseverance rover.[4]
In January 2024, a proposed NASA plan had been challenged due to budget and scheduling considerations, and a newer overhaul plan undertaken.[5] In April 2024, NASA reported that the originally projected cost of $7 billion and expected sample return of 2033 was updated to a higher $11 billion and return of 2040 instead, prompting the agency to search for a better solution.[6]