Accelerate progress in our three core enterprises — Explore Worlds, Find Life, and Defend Earth. You can support the entire fund, or designate a core enterprise of your choice.
Mars Sample Return overview infographic (ESA) This overview of the ESA–NASA Mars Sample Return mission shows launches of the Mars 2020 rover, the Sample Retrieval Lander, and Earth Return Orbiter. The Mars 2020 rover collects samples and leaves them in canisters on the surface, and possibly visits the retrieval lander directly. The lander deploys a fetch rover to collect the Mars 2020 samples and deposit them in an ascent vehicle, which blasts into Mars orbit. There, a return orbiter collects the samples for transport back to Earth. ESA / K. Oldenburg