NASA has announced a mission to launch a rocket from Mars. The new mission aims to collect samples from Mars and bring them back to Earth.
According to the details, the rover Perseverance will collect samples from Mars. The collected samples will be then enclosed in a tube. Once the tube is sealed, it will be transferred to ascent vehicles and launched from the surface of Mars. The samples will be loaded into an orbiting aircraft that will bring the samples back to Earth. This will be the first time a rocket will be launched from the surface of a planet other than Earth.
Administrator NASA Bill Nelson called the development a groundbreaking step and said that the mission would pave way for astronauts to land on Mars. For this mission, NASA collaborated with Lockheed Martin. The National Aeronautics and Space administration accepted that the mission was filled with challenges, mainly related to the atmosphere and all the equipment would have to work parallel to fulfill the task.
The sample version of the mission will be launched in 2026 to initiate the project. NASA Associate Administrator for Science Thomas Zurbuchen briefed that the sample version was in the final phase and would be launched soon.