Starlust on MSN

Why NASA still can't bring Mars samples home

NASA already has some of the most valuable rock samples in human history waiting on Mars. Collected by the Perseverance rover ...
Morning Overview on MSN

China pulled its Tianwen-3 Mars sample-return mission forward to 2028

China’s space agency has locked in a 2028 launch date for Tianwen-3, its first Mars sample-return mission, with plans to ...
The Gazette

Mars Sample Return mission in jeopardy, Lockheed Martin thinks it can still be done

Companies in the space industry set up their displays for the Space Symposium at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs on Saturday, April 11, 2026. (The Gazette, Michael G. Seamans) When it landed on Mars ...
National Academies of Sciences%2c Engineering%2c and Medicine

Mars Sample Return: Issues and Recommendations

As stated in Chapter 8, the proper design and implementation of planetary protection measures will ultimately be critical to the overall success of martian sample-return missions. Mission success can ...
SpaceNews

China’s Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission moves into spacecraft construction phase

A crescent of the northern hemisphere of Mars taken by Tianwen-1's medium-resolution camera in March 2021. Credit: CNSA/PEC ESPOO, Finland — China’s Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission is entering ...
Washington Technology

NASA seeks commercial contractor to build new Mars communications network

Only companies that worked on the Mars Sample Return program need apply, narrowing the field to a handful of space industry heavyweights. NASA is looking for ways to improve the communications network ...
techtimes

Curiosity Rover Detects More Than 20 Organic Molecules in 3.5-Billion-Year-Old Martian Rock

The curiosity rover is to collect engineering data during the spacecraft's high-speed, extremely hot entry into the Martian atmosphere. NASA The findings arrive weeks after Congress effectively ...