What will happen to Mars Sample Return mission? NASA set to tell us soon

WION carries an article about NASA's Mars Sample Return mission, Caliber.Az reprints the article.

NASA will host a media teleconference on April 12, 2024 at 01:00 pm EDT (10:30 pm IST in India) to announce what's happening with NASA's Mars Sample Return mission that's in a difficult situation. During the teleconference, NASA will set out its recommendations for moving forward.

NASA's beleaguered mission has been ongoing for several years now. Perseverance rover, deployed in 2021, is also a part of this mission, whose aim was to gather intriguing samples of Martian rock collected by another mission and return to Earth.

However, last year, an independent review stated that the Mars Sample Return (MSR) had an "unrealistic budget and schedule," an "unwieldy structure," and was "not arranged to be led effectively". Due to this review, the future of the MSR mission became shaky. 

Subsequently, the House and Senate appropriations committees suggested a budget that comprised a cut of $454,080,000 to NASA's 2024 budget. The Mars Sample Return Mission suffered heavily due to this.

Moreover, NASA has lowered its overall spending on the mission. The space administration has also laid off several workers and contractors from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is leading the mission. 

The budget cuts and layoffs have led to alarm that NASA might halt the mission and the canisters loaded by Perseverance might be left useless on the Martian surface. However, NASA's upcoming announcement offers a glimmer of hope for the mission. 

NASA states, "Mars Sample Return has been a major long-term goal of international planetary exploration for the past two decades. NASA's Perseverance rover is collecting compelling science samples that will help scientists understand the geological history of Mars, the evolution of its climate and prepare for future human explorers. The return of the samples will also help NASA's search for signs of ancient life."

According to the incumbent plan, there's an orbiter launching in 2027, a lander in 2028 and unique Mars samples returning to Earth in 2033.