Source: Phys.org
“NASA announced Tuesday it may turn to Elon Musk’s SpaceX or Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin to help reduce the soaring costs of returning Martian rocks collected by the Perseverance rover to Earth. Originally planned to deliver 30 sample tubes to Earth by the 2030s, the Mars Sample Return mission has faced rising expenses and delays, prompting the US space agency to explore more streamlined solutions. The pivot comes as China progresses towards a simpler “grab-and-go” sample return mission to the Red Planet ‘around 2028,’ according to state media, potentially making it the first nation to achieve the feat.” (01/08/25)
https://phys.org/news/2025-01-nasa-eyes-spacex-blue-mars.html