NASA to launch rocket from Mars for the first time

NASA has picked Lockheed Martin as the awardee for a contract to build the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV)_ the first-ever man-made rocket to be launched from the surface of another planet. The MAV is tasked with bringing back samples collected by NASA's Perseverance Rover from Mars back to Earth.

The mission will let Perseverance collect samples and leave them in sealed tubes on the planet for future rovers to come to collect them. Samples will be later_ loaded onto ascent vehicles which will launch into orbit and release the samples to an orbiting aircraft bringing back the evidence to Earth. This will be the first rocket to be launched from another planet.

Bill Nelson_ NASA administrator says_ "This groundbreaking endeavor is destined to inspire the world when the first robotic round-trip mission retrieves a sample from another planet  a significant step that will ultimately help send the first astronauts to Mars. America s investment in our Mars Sample Return program will fulfill a top priority planetary science goal and demonstrate our commitment to global partnerships_ ensuring NASA remains a leader in exploration and discovery.

NASA has partnered up with private companies like Lockheed Martin_ in an effort to successfully carry out this mission. In the update posted on the site_ NASA acknowledges the challenges they face in carrying out this mission_ especially the rocket withstanding the harsh martian environment_ the cold temperatures_ dust_ thin atmosphere_ and insufficient oxygen. All technology being used for this mission will have to be compatible with one another and be able to carry out its specific job flawlessly.

The American space and aeronautics agency is aiming to launch the Sample Retrieval Lander in 2026_ initiating the beginning of the mission. An associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington_ Thomas Zurbuchen_ says that  We are nearing the end of the conceptual phase for this Mars Sample Return mission_ and the pieces are coming together to bring home the first samples from another planet. Once on Earth_ they can be studied by state-of-the-art tools too complex to transport into space.