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NASA has initiated the search for a contractor to transport Martian soil samples to Earth. Several companies, including SpaceX, have submitted proposals. SpaceX has already indicated when it can organize the first flight of the Starship spacecraft to the Red Planet.
Seven companies are participating in the tender: Aerojet Rocketdyne, Lockheed Martin, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, Quantum Space, Whittinghill Aerospace, and SpaceX. SpaceX representatives believe their flagship spacecraft will be able to land on the surface of Mars by 2029. NASA has acknowledged that SpaceX has a “very strong team” with the necessary experience to execute this mission.
Lockheed Martin, a major competitor to Elon Musk’s creation, was previously selected by NASA for the Artemis-1 mission. Meanwhile, Blue Origin’s spacecraft, named Blue Mars Lander, impressed agency officials with its simplified design, theoretically not affecting mission efficiency compared to competitors.
Blue Origin also plans to collaborate with the European Space Agency (ESA) and utilize the Earth Return Orbiter (ERO) orbital spacecraft for collecting Martian soil samples. The mission is slated for completion by 2033 in this scenario.
