Mars Exploration Program
Perseverance rover (landed Feb 2021) collecting rock samples for future return to Earth. Ingenuity helicopter far exceeded 5-flight design — completed 72 flights before blade damage ended its mission in Jan 2024. Mars Sample Return (MSR) program faces major budget and schedule challenges; NASA soliciting commercial alternatives. Human Mars missions studied for 2040s.
Budget
~$2.7B/yr (Mars Sample Return under redesign — cost cut from $11B original)
Timeline
Ongoing
Key Milestones
Perseverance landing in Jezero Crater + Ingenuity first powered flight on another planet
2021 — Feb
Ingenuity mission ended after 72 flights (blade damaged on Flight 72)
2024 — Jan
Mars Sample Return independent review — cost could reach $11B, schedule slipped to 2040
2024
NASA issued RFI for commercial MSR alternatives; Perseverance continues sample caching
2025
MSR target (revised, contingent on new architecture)
2030
Contractors
Sources
- nasa.gov
- mars.nasa.gov