This "small and light rocket", in the words of NASA, should be the first to take off from another planet.
NASA's Perseverance rover, which arrived on Mars a year ago, is currently collecting rock samples from places that scientists consider particularly interesting.
The goal of the mission: to find traces of ancient life on the red planet.
But these samples will have to be analyzed in terrestrial laboratories, more sophisticated than anything that can be sent to Mars.
They will thus be recovered and then launched towards Earth thanks to a complex ballet, of which the rocket attributed to Lockheed Martin Space is a central element.
The contract for this "Mars Ascent Vehicle Integrated System" has a potential value of $194 million, according to the NASA press release.
"The pieces of the puzzle are coming together to bring home the first samples ever collected from another planet," said Thomas Zurbuchen, head of science missions at NASA, quoted in the press release.
According to the space agency's plans, a mission will be launched in 2026 at the earliest to send the mini-rocket to Mars, with another rover responsible for collecting the samples left behind by Perseverance.
Once the samples are placed in the rocket, it will lift off to put them into orbit around Mars.
They will then be captured by another vessel, previously sent there for the occasion.
Ultimate link of this incredible relay, it is he who will be in charge of the final journey to Earth.
This last vessel, as well as the rover responsible for recovering the samples, are being developed under the direction of the European Space Agency (ESA).
© 2022 AFP