The European Space Agency (ESA) wants to develop key technologies for a Mars surface lander by the mid-2030s.

A Sample Retrieval Lander would launch in 2028, carrying a NASA-led Mars rocket and small Mars helicopters. JPL-Caltech/NASA At the time, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said independent reviews ...

including the use of a sample retrieval lander, Mars ascent vehicle rocket to launch the samples into orbit, and an Earth return orbiter that would bring the samples back to Earth. The difference ...

which had successfully deployed the Curiosity and Perseverance robotic rovers that are currently exploring Mars. The sky crane lowers the lander with the rocket by cable from a hovering rocket stage.

In what appears to be a jab at NASA, Rocket Lab this week ... be an Earth Return Orbiter and Mars entry and descent system, housing a sample retrieval lander and Mars ascent vehicle (MAV).

For nearly four years, NASA's Perseverance rover has journeyed across an unexplored patch of land on Mars ... Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, and Lockheed Martin—each with their own lander concepts ...