NASA puts $10M down on Mars sample return proposals from Blue Origin, SpaceX and others | TechCrunch

This shows that the space industry There are a lot of ideas How to improve NASA’s performance An $11 billion, 15-year plan to collect and return samples from MarsOf these, seven proposals have attracted the attention of the agency.

announced todayNASA has awarded $1.5 million contracts to seven companies to further develop their plans for a sample return mission to Mars. Here are the award winners and the titles of their proposals:

• Lockheed Martin: “Lockheed Martin Rapid Mission Design Study to Return Mars Samples”
• SpaceX: “Enabling the return of Mars samples with Starship”
• Aerojet Rocketdyne: “A high-performance liquid Mars ascent vehicle that will improve program affordability and schedule, using highly reliable and mature propulsion technologies”
• Blue Origin: “Leveraging Artemis to Bring Back Samples from Mars”
• Quantum Space: “Quantum Anchor Leg Mars Sample Return Study”
• Northrop Grumman: “Concept Design for High TRL MAV Propulsion Trades and MSR Rapid Mission Design”
• Whittinghill Aerospace: “An Accelerated Design Study for the MSR Single Stage Mars Ascent Vehicle”

A total of ten studies were selected — including from two NASA centers and the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Applied Physics Laboratory — after the agency issued a request for proposals in April.

The titles don’t really say much about the respective proposals – for example, it’s no surprise that SpaceX is offering Starship for a mission to Mars, but it’s still unclear how the vehicle would be able to collect and return samples. That’s the whole purpose of the study period: to help NASA understand if there are viable alternative mission designs or mission elements to bring Mars samples home safely.

According to the request for proposals, the studies could be for a complete restructuring of the mission design, or for designs that incorporate elements of NASA’s MSR mission or NASA’s Artemis program.

NASA eventually turned to private industry after acknowledging that its architecture for MSR was incredibly complex. In fact, even calling it a mission is a bit of a misnomer, as the plan involved the Perseverance rover, a new sample recovery lander, a rocket called the Mars Ascent Vehicle, and an Earth Return Orbiter. These vehicles would need to work in perfect coordination to collect and transport the samples.

Last year, an independent review board recommended that NASA re-examine the mission’s design, citing concerns over technical specifications and high costs. So the agency is doing just that.In documents related to the RFP, NASA said it is looking for a less complex mission design and one that will reduce the agency’s overall cost. The agency also said it is looking for the earliest possible return date.

The companies will begin work in July and complete their studies in October.