Cost Concerns For NASA’s Mars Sample Return Mission

The idea of collecting, transferring, launching, and delivering Mars samples to Earth is an extremely ambitious mission with a lot of moving parts. This correlates to the big price tag of a few billion dollars. Unfortunately for NASA, new reports suggest that what was originally expected to cost between $3 and $4 billion, could end up being closer to $9 billion, if not higher. The mission I’m referring to is the Mars Sample Return (MSR) program. This involves the perseverance rover, a massive lander, small rocket system, and reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. The mission timeline is around a decade long from start to finish. At this point, the agency is committed but the significantly higher cost estimate is causing concerns. Combine this with possible delays and NASA is trying to determine the best approach forward. Here I will go more in-depth into the cost increase, the mission plan, what to expect in the coming months, and more. Full article here - For more space-related content check out - Credit: NASA - Blue Origin - Chapters: 0:00 - Intro 0:50 - Increase of Billions 3:58 - The Current Mission Plan