Mars Sample Return in Limbo as Congress Shifts Focus to Mars Future Missions

Lawmakers’ minibus language signals the cancellation of NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) program, even as the technology developed for MSR is deemed critical for future missions. Space scientists and advocates warn the move could undermine U.S. leadership and jeopardize the Perseverance samples, while the bill redirects funding toward a new Mars Future Missions program to advance robotic and eventually crewed Mars exploration. The Senate must decide, but supporters say a sustainable path to sample return can still emerge, guided by Decadal Surveys and ongoing Mars exploration.