Rocket Lab Awarded NASA Study Contract for Mars Sample Return Mission

Rocket Lab has been selected by NASA to conduct a study aimed at exploring how to bring rock samples from Mars to Earth for the first time. The company, known for its expertise in space systems and launch services, will provide insights on how their vertically integrated technologies can be applied to this ambitious task as part of NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) Program.

This collaboration marks a significant milestone for both Rocket Lab and NASA, as it could potentially pave the way for a more cost-effective and expedited return of Martian samples.

The Mars Sample Return mission has been one of the highest priorities for planetary science, aiming to answer critical questions about Mars’ past and its potential to support life. The samples, collected by NASA’s Perseverance rover since its 2021 landing, may hold answers to whether life ever existed on the Red Planet. This mission is also seen as a precursor to future human exploration of Mars.

This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rocks and soil being collected from the Martian surface by NASA's Mars Perseverance rover. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech — This illustration shows a concept for multiple robots that would team up to ferry to Earth samples of rocks and soil being collected from the Martian surface by NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Sir Peter Beck, founder and CEO of Rocket Lab, underscored the importance of this mission, stating, “Retrieving samples from Mars is one of the most ambitious and scientifically important endeavors humanity has ever embarked upon. We’ve developed an innovative mission concept to make it happen affordably and on an accelerated schedule.”

The “Rapid Mission Design Studies”

Rocket Lab’s involvement follows NASA’s Rapid Mission Design Studies initiative, which seeks proposals for mission designs that could expedite the Mars Sample Return timeline while lowering costs. The results from these studies will inform potential updates to NASA’s MSR Program and could lead to future contracts with private industry.

According to the current timeline, the Mars samples are projected to return to Earth by 2040. However, Rocket Lab’s study aims to accelerate this timeline by several years, offering a more streamlined mission concept that could significantly reduce the cost of the mission.

“Rocket Lab has been methodically implementing a strategy for cost-effective planetary science in recent years, making us uniquely suited to deliver a low cost, rapid Mars Sample Return,” Beck continued in his statement.

He also highlighted the company’s proven capabilities in space exploration, noting that Rocket Lab had previously delivered a NASA mission to the Moon, enabled spacecraft rendezvous operations, and successfully completed capsule re-entry from orbit. Beck emphasized that these achievements place Rocket Lab in a strong position to deliver an innovative solution that could bring Martian rock samples to scientists sooner than expected.

Rocket Lab didn't share any concept design or image. This is the only illustration that they shared with press. Credits: Rocket Lab — *Rocket Lab didn’t share any concept design or image. This is the only illustration that they shared with press. Credits: Rocket Lab*

The specific mission architecture proposed by Rocket Lab is still under embargo and will only be revealed after the study is completed in the coming months. However, the company has assured that their approach would leverage their existing technologies to simplify the mission concept, making it both affordable and feasible on a shorter timeline.

A pool of companies

NASA’s Mars Sample Return Program has been a focal point of international planetary exploration for over two decades. The goal is to systematically study Mars’ early history and better understand the processes that shaped its formation, which could offer new insights into the evolution of habitable worlds, including Earth. Bringing back samples from Mars is seen as a crucial step toward answering these scientific questions.

The Mars Sample Return mission is also a collaborative effort between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), further emphasizing the global interest in this endeavor.

In addition to Rocket Lab, several other aerospace companies have been selected back in April 2024 to participate in the preliminary phase of NASA’s Rapid Mission Design Studies for Mars Sample Return.

Among these are industry heavyweights like Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, Aerojet Rocketdyne, Blue Origin, and Northrop Grumman, each bringing their own expertise and mission concepts to the table. Is not clear at this time which other, if any of them, have been also selected to continue the study in parallel with Rocket Lab.