The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which continues its work on Mars with vehicles such as the Perseverance rover, in 2033 He planned to bring the rock samples collected from the planet to Earth in a vehicle to ship over the next few years. However, recent news has revealed that this mission has some problems.

At a recent meeting, it became clear that NASA needed more funding for the mission. NASA President Bill Nelson is coming this fiscal year for the mission to bring samples from Mars. another $250 million He added that they also need in 2024 250 million dollars He added that he needed more.

An example return mission from Mars, requiring multiple vehicles, could cost more than $7 billion

The mission to return the rocky monster from Mars will be one of the most challenging missions NASA has ever undertaken. In collaboration with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) launch in 2028 The planned mission will aim to deliver rock samples collected by the Perseverance rover to our planet. Also for this consisting of an orbiter, lander, two helicopters and a rocket, that is, a series of spacecraft is needed, requiring a very large budget.

That is why it has been emphasized for some time that the mission would be quite expensive. In the estimates made, both NASA and ESA could cost at least $7 billion was specified. However, this estimate of the true cost of the task There are also concerns that it can it was quite a lot. Anyway, NASA is only for the 2024 budget of this mission. $949.3 million had asked. Also for 2023 822.3 million dollars Let’s add that it’s busy.

If the mission really needs extra money, it may need support from elsewhere in NASA’s budget. This may affect other missions. Your desk is already faces budgetary problems need to specify. That’s why we saw that VERITAS, the mission to send vehicles to Venus, was postponed indefinitely.

NASA recently launched an independent mission for the mission. plate It should not be taken for granted that he founded it. It was stated that the purpose of this committee would be to ensure that the mission to bring samples from Mars was on time and on budget. But tell me how well it will work.

There is also a possibility that the task will be delayed due to budgetary issues.

Another solution to the budgetary problem could be to postpone this historic task. According to SpaceNews, Nelson’s statements at the meeting show that such a thing is possible:Some of these costs will not be able to escape and we will have to make a choice. We can handle it, but it may not be when we hope. Spreading it over a longer period could solve the problem.”

It is not possible to say anything about how this mission, which will become one of the most important missions in the history of NASA and mankind, will go. However, incoming information shows that Martian rocks will be brought to our planet even later than expected. On the other hand, it is also questionable whether budgetary problems will affect the manned Mars missions that are expected to be made in the late 2030s or early 2040s.