Ellie in Space on MSN

NASA’s 2026 budget looked stable - but Mars sample return was put on ice

Congress largely rejected the massive NASA cuts proposed earlier in 2025 and approved a fiscal year 2026 budget that kept ...
Washington Technology

NASA seeks commercial contractor to build new Mars communications network

Only companies that worked on the Mars Sample Return program need apply, narrowing the field to a handful of space industry heavyweights. NASA is looking for ways to improve the communications network ...
AOL

NASA’s $700 Million Mars Network — Why Rocket Lab Is at the Front of the Line

Mars exploration is heating up. NASA eyes sample returns and crewed landings by the 2030s, but its current relay satellites -- some decades past design life -- struggle with data traffic from rovers, ...
SpaceNews

NASA reserves science payload space for Mars telecommunications mission

NASA is reserving a small amount of space on a Mars telecommunications spacecraft for science, which could be one or more ...
Aviation Week

NASA Set To Issue Proposals For Mars Telecom Network

The loss of MAVEN in December has added urgency to NASA’s Mars Telecommunication Network contest. Credit: NASA COLORADO SPRINGS—Lockheed Martin, one of several space companies vying for NASA’s Mars ...
autoevolution

China Will Bring Back Samples of Mars Before the U.S., Tianwen 3 Mission Goes Up in 2028

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced the Tianwen 3, a daring Mars sample return mission to launch in 2028 ...