Congress has handed NASA a rare reprieve, rejecting deep proposed cuts and approving a budget that keeps much of the agency’s ...

NASA's plans for Mars sample return are effectively cancelled as part of a bill approved by the U.S. Congress, ending efforts ...

Bringing samples from Mars back to Earth is one of NASA's most ambitious goals. The plan goes back to the 1970s, with NASA's robotic exploration program, when the first spacecraft landed on the ...

Update: A minibus spending package passed by the House of Representatives on January 8, 2026, effectively cancels the Mars Sample Return program by eliminating almost all funding for future missions.

Congressional supporters of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission have buckled to pressure from the Trump administration to kill the centerpiece of NASA’s exploration plans over the next decade.

NASA’s Mars Sample Return program faces opposition from planetary scientists following proposed cancellation, with concerns raised over Perseverance samples, future Mars missions, and international ...