NASA will develop the first small rocket launched from Mars to send samples back to Earth

Nasa announced Feb. 8 that it had awarded U.S. aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin a contract to build the Mars Ascendant Vehicle (MAV), a small lightweight rocket for the purpose of launching rock, sediment and atmospheric samples from Mars. NASA said the Mars ascent vehicle will be the first rocket to be launched from another planet, and it is a key part of sending samples taken by NASA's Perseverance rover back to Earth for further study.

Another key part of the operation is NASA's "sample recovery lander," which is scheduled to be launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center as early as 2026.

The Sample Recovery Lander will take the MAV to the surface of Mars, landing near Jezero Crater to collect samples stored by Perseverance. Once the sample is returned to the lander, the lander will serve as a launch platform for the MAV. Once the sample container is fixed, the MAV is emitted.

Once the MAV reaches Orbit on Mars, the sample container will be captured by the European Space Agency's Earth Return Orbiter, which will safely bring these samples back to Earth in the early to mid-2030s.

The MAV not only lands on Mars, but also takes off from Mars. It must be strong enough to withstand the harsh Martian environment; it must be adaptable enough to work with multiple spacecraft; and it must be small enough to fit into a "sample recovery lander."

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said, "When the first automated round-trip mission retrieves samples from another planet, this groundbreaking effort is destined to inspire the world." This is an important step that will ultimately help send the first astronauts to Mars. ”

"We are coming to the end of the conceptual phase of the Mars sample return mission." Thomas Zurbuchen, deputy director for scientific affairs at NASA headquarters, said that once the first Martian samples return to Earth, the most advanced research tools can study them, which are too complex to be transported into space.

Last February, Perseverance landed at Jezero Crater on Mars. This is NASA's ninth probe to visit the surface of Mars and the first to sample from Mars for future return to Earth. Its mission's goals include looking for signs of life that may have existed on Mars in ancient times, exploring the geology and climate features of Mars, collecting rock and soil samples for future returns to Earth, and accumulating technology for future robots and humans to explore Mars.

Perseverance has collected six samples since landing, solved the problem of gravel blockage, and continued to march towards Mars. On Feb. 6, the mission team wrote in a rover tone through perseverance's official social media account, "Thanks to my self-driving features, I can reach more places in a day than ever before." Just set a new Martian record of 243.3 meters, the day before it was 245.76 meters. ”