Mars sample-return mission

A Mars sample-return (MSR) mission is a proposed mission to collect rock and dust samples on <a href="/facts/Mars/AQGtVvz0">Mars</a> and <a href="/facts/Sample-return_mission/0bcaFtVx">return them</a> to <a href="/facts/Earth/HLLmDfj0">Earth</a>. Such a mission would allow more extensive analysis than that allowed by onboard sensors. 
Risks of cross-contamination of the Earth biosphere from returned Martian samples have been raised, though the risk of this occurring is considered to be low.
The most recent concepts are a <a href="/facts/NASA-ESA_Mars_Sample_Return/XG3WnKGW">NASA-ESA proposal</a>; a <a href="/facts/China_National_Space_Administration/q3s4bGYt">CNSA</a> proposal, <a href="/facts/Tianwen-3/N4LVhWLH">Tianwen-3</a>; a <a href="/facts/Roscosmos/GzWfae7U">Roscosmos</a> proposal, <a href="/facts/Mars-Grunt/lYdRaNwv">Mars-Grunt</a>; and a <a href="/facts/JAXA/ofUpflgf">JAXA</a> proposal, <a href="/facts/Martian_Moons_eXploration/1l8xsnsz">Martian Moons eXploration</a> (MMX). Although <a href="/facts/NASA/TIMCV0yV">NASA</a> and <a href="/facts/European_Space_Agency/L8YRNV0C">ESA</a>'s plans to return the samples to Earth are still in the design stage as of 2024, samples have been gathered on Mars by the <a href="/facts/Perseverance_(rover)/NFoubTKJ">Perseverance</a> rover.

Mars sample-return mission open-in-new

Mars sample-return mission