The American aerospace agency NASA is testing a rocket that will launch a spacecraft from Mars.
The innovative rockets will be used as part of the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), which will help bring samples from the Red Planet to Earth. The mission to fly to Mars and return to Earth is due to launch in June 2028. Within two years, the ship will move to Mars, then for another year it will process samples obtained by the Perseverance rover. The sample-carrying robotic arm will then place the samples in a container at the nose of the rocket, which will take off from Mars and rendezvous with the orbiter. The samples will return to Earth sometime in the early 2030s.
The agency recently tested solid-fuel engines, which will be the first to be launched on another planet. They use a state-of-the-art nozzle to operate in the extremely cold conditions of Mars. After testing the nozzle in cold vacuum, the team considered the tests a success.
“The result demonstrates that our country is capable of developing a launch vehicle that is light enough to get to Mars and strong enough to then launch a set of samples into orbit and bring them back to Earth,” Benjamin Davis, head of the MAV department at NASA.
Source: Rosbalt
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