Andrew is a freelance space journalist with a focus on reporting on China's rapidly growing space sector. He began writing for Space.com in 2019 and writes for SpaceNews, IEEE Spectrum, National Geographic, Sky & Telescope, New Scientist and others.
Artist's conception of the vehicles that would participate in a Mars sample return campaign by NASA and the European Space Agency.NASA's bold plan to get pristine samples of Mars to Earth for analysis is facing major challenges, according to a new report.Perseverance is already on Mars, snagging and storing samples. But the program still needs to build a Sample Retrieval Lander and an Earth Return Orbiter , the latter being developed and funded by the.
One major area of concern is life-cycle cost estimates for MSR. There is concern that, due to the number and significance of cost increase indicators so far, the $7.4 billion estimate is"premature and may be insufficient," the report finds. Now, the complexity of the MSR mission could drive costs to between, the OIG report notes, citing a September 2023 Independent Review Board report. Notably, a July 2020 estimate listed costs of $2.5 to $3 billion.
The report also highlights the need for enhanced coordination between NASA and ESA. The OIG report offers recommendations to address these challenges. These include ensuring a stable CCRS design, incorporating program complexity into cost and schedule estimates , and reassessing large mission pre-formulation guidance.
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