The year 2025 isn't even a week old and NASA is already gearing up for its first big announcement, this one about the agency's ambitious, yet beleaguered, Mars sample return mission. Today (Jan. 7), ...

After an independent review concluded NASA's plans to robotically collect and return rock and soil samples from Mars could cost up to $11 billion, NASA "pulled the plug" and is focusing on two options ...

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. NASA is seeking ...

NASA's mission is to return rock, soil and others samples to Earth for study. NASA announced Monday it is revising plans for its Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission due to the estimated cost and long ...

This article was originally featured on The Conversation. A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to ...

NASA announced Tuesday that it's exploring two landing options to move forward with its mission to retrieve environmental samples from Mars at a lower cost. The goal of the Mars Sample Return Program, ...

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Two new potential ...

NASA announced Friday that it will award contracts to seven companies, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, to study how to transport rock samples from Mars more cheaply back to Earth. The space agency ...

Update: A minibus spending package passed by the House of Representatives on January 8, 2026, effectively cancels the Mars Sample Return program by eliminating almost all funding for future missions.

NASA's beleaguered Mars Sample Return program currently faces extreme costs of up to $11 billion and a timeline that could reach 2040. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an ...