Last February, NASA selected Northrop Grumman to develop the engines powering the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), which will launch samples collected by the Perseverance rover into Martian orbit for return to Earth.
NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) are partnering on the groundbreaking Mars Sample Return mission to bring Martian samples back to Earth for the first time.
It begins with NASA's Perseverance rover, which is caching rock and soil samples in sealed tubes at Jezero Crater—potential evidence of ancient life. These will await retrieval on the surface.
In the next phase, likely in 2026, NASA will dispatch a lander carrying the Sample Fetch Rover. This lightweight rover will collect the cached samples and deliver them to the MAV, a compact rocket set to launch in spring 2029, placing the samples into orbit around Mars.
ESA's Earth Return Orbiter (built by Airbus) will rendezvous in orbit, retrieve the samples, and deliver them to Earth in the early 2030s.
Roles are clearly divided: ESA and Airbus handle the Sample Fetch Rover and Earth Return Orbiter, while NASA provides the lander and MAV. Northrop Grumman is tasked with the MAV's engines.
Northrop Grumman brings proven expertise, having developed landing systems for NASA's Pathfinder/Sojourner, Spirit, and Opportunity missions.
For Mars Sample Return, they will supply two solid-propellant engines for the MAV's two stages. "It's a good propulsion system. Well understood. Good for the cold. Because it's going to be cold," notes analyst David McGrath.
These engines are reliable in harsh conditions, as demonstrated by NASA's LDEF experiment. Launched in 1984 aboard Challenger, it endured over five years in space until recovery in 1990 by Columbia, confirming solid propellant's resilience to vacuum and extreme cold.
“Information from LDEF and other aging studies gives us confidence that this longer than usual exposure to vacuum and cold will not be a problem,” adds McGrath.
Cold management is critical, with the MAV generating less than 40 watts from solar panels to keep propellant above -20°C. A thermal liner will insulate the rocket and open briefly from the top for sample loading, potentially in stages to minimize heat loss.
The MAV's liftoff demands about 70 seconds for the first stage and 25 seconds for the second—marking the first rocket launch from another planet.
Positioned on the lander, the MAV can't ignite directly on the surface. Instead, a spring-like mechanism will eject it skyward before engine start. “Basically they'll use a spring and push the rocket into the air,” explains McGrath. “And since Martian gravity is one-third that of Earth, you have a bit more time before it recontacts the ground. So there is plenty of time for it to ignite.”
Thrust Vector Control will steer it onto the precise trajectory, while weather monitoring at Jezero Crater ensures optimal launch conditions for this invaluable cargo.
