The agency's head calls the current plan for delivering samples collected by the Perseverance rover "too expensive" and its schedule "unacceptable."
An independent review board concluded last year that NASA's Mars sample return mission could cost as much as US$11 billion, more than the James Webb Space Telescope's launch cost.
The $11 billion price tag is "too expensive," said NASA administrator Bill Nelson, and "not returning the samples until 2040 is unacceptable." NASA alters the original plan due to costs and schedule.
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