NASA selects Eric Schmidt's rocket company for 2028 Mars mission
Under a public-private partnership agreement, Relativity Space will provide the vehicle, spacecraft, and operations for the launch of the Aeolus instrument.
NASA has chosen Relativity Space, an aerospace company led by former Google executive Eric Schmidt, to carry out a mission to Mars in 2028. The contract marks the company's entry into deep planetary exploration, expanding its scope of operations beyond Earth's orbit.
The agreement establishes a public-private partnership in which Relativity Space will be responsible for providing the mission's complete infrastructure. The company will supply the rocket and the spacecraft, and will conduct cruise operations to transport the Aeolus instrument to the Red Planet.
The Aeolus payload has a scientific objective defined by the space agency. According to sources, the equipment will provide the first data of its kind after reaching the Martian surface, although specific details about the scientific measurements have not been disclosed.
NASA's selection of Relativity Space reinforces the agency's strategy of outsourcing logistical and scientific missions to the private sector. For Schmidt's company, the contract represents an operational milestone, requiring the development of technology capable of supporting interplanetary missions with a delivery deadline set for the end of the decade.
What company did NASA select for the 2028 Mars mission?
NASA selected Relativity Space, an aerospace company led by former Google executive Eric Schmidt, to carry out a mission to Mars in 2028.
What will Relativity Space provide for the NASA Mars mission?
Under a public-private partnership, Relativity Space will provide the rocket, the spacecraft, and the cruise operations to transport NASA's Aeolus instrument to Mars.
What is the purpose of the Aeolus instrument?
The Aeolus payload will provide the first data of its kind after reaching the Martian surface, although NASA has not yet disclosed specific details about the scientific measurements.