December 2014
Rosetta revelations: the fabric of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko
... of the instruments on Rosetta. By the end of the mission it will be difficult to top it. The next step has to go towards a sample return mission because this will then allow the study of cometary material with all the fabulous machines...
21 February 2019
Hayabusa2 starts descent towards Ryugu
Hayabusa2, Japan’s audacious asteroid sample-return spacecraft, is getting ready to collect a chunk of... the onboard sampler horn. Hayabusa2 will hold onto any samples it manages to collect and return them to Earth in 2020 for further study. After the...
February 2020
Surviving bacteria in space
.... They would also allow materials testing and experimentation directly on site, without the need for costly sample return to Earth. Importantly, this reuse strategy would save considerable space and budget, usually dedicated to chemical containers...
15 June 2022
NASA counts on ESA cooperation for lunar exploration
... General Josef Aschbacher. “By contributing key European hardware and services to exciting programmes such as Artemis and Mars Sample Return we are building Europe’s autonomy while also being a reliable partner.” Nelson told a post-meeting press...
08 October 2021
Images confirm "once and for all" Jezero crater was an ancient Martian lake
... biosignatures. And the boulders at the top will enable us to sample old pieces of crustal rocks. Both are main objectives for sampling and caching rocks before Mars Sample Return.” While it’s unknown if the lakes fluctuating water levels resulted...
02 December 2014
Roscosmos plans deep space exploration
.... Plans include three uncrewed craft – Lunas 25, 26 and 27 – flying in 2023-25. Subsequently, Luna 28 and 29 would provide sample return missions after the previous lander and orbiter sequence occurs. Within a 50-year plan, Roscosmos is interested...
