Shares of Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (RKLB) soared over 5% in premarket trading on Monday, following news that the company secured a valuable contract from NASA to explore innovative approaches for the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission.
The $625,000 contract tasks Rocket Lab with identifying alternative strategies to streamline and potentially reduce the estimated $11 billion cost of the MSR mission, as well as potentially expedite the planned return date beyond the currently targeted 2040 timeline.
Rocket Lab's proposal involves utilizing its under-development Neutron rocket and a unique two-launch system. The first launch would deploy an Earth Return Orbiter (ERO), while the second would send a lander spacecraft carrying a Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). The MAV would then land on Mars, collect samples gathered by the Perseverance rover, and transfer them to the ERO for the return journey to Earth.
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