/sci/ - Science & Math

https://spacenews.com/impulse-and-relativity-target-2026-for-launch-of-first-mars-lander-mission/

> While the launch of the first Mars mission may have slipped, the companies said at the conference that they are committed to flying a series of such commercial lander missions, creating what Josh Brost, senior vice president of revenue operations at Relativity, called a “constant supply chain to Mars.”

> That means flying missions at every launch opportunity, roughly two years apart. “We will take advantage of the window every 2.2 years and take at least one mission up,” said Barry Matsumori, chief operating officer of Impulse Space. He said the companies would offer a catalog of different payload options, “and that catalog will drive the missions we actually do.”

>They argued that having a frequent series of missions will enable new and lower cost science, including the ability to refly payloads. “By making transport to Mars more affordable, you open up that iteration loop that can lead to advancements that just could not have been envisioned previously,” said Brost.

> NASA has expressed an interest in eventually buying commercial services for Mars science missions. A draft robotic Mars exploration strategy released by NASA in March opened the door to acquire services for Mars science missions in a manner analogous to the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program of robotic lunar lander missions.

> That’s been a goal long associated with SpaceX and its founder, Elon Musk, who frequently talks about making humanity multiplanetary. “In the last several years, there’s really been one loud commercial voice talking about Mars,” Brost said, alluding to SpaceX. “But for Mars to really happen and be affordable and sustainable and all of those things, it doesn’t take one company. It takes dozens or hundreds. You need lots of different people working on different parts of the problem set.”