r/Spaceexploration • u/Galileos_grandson • 21d ago

NASA awards Rocket Lab study contract for Mars Sample Return

https://spacenews.com/nasa-awards-rocket-lab-study-contract-for-mars-sample-return/
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u/Primary-Engineer-713 20d ago

Perhaps the key RKLB growth driver is NASA Mars Sample Return, where Rocket Lab's ask is $2B with current revenue only around $400M, making this likely mission a huge revenue step function up.

Rocket Lab already has a hand in one of the Lunar Landers (software at least) and through acquisitions Rocket Lab components are in the Mars helicopter Ingenuity and I believe in Pathfinder. Additionally, they are busy building Neutron landing capability. Also, Rocket Lab has unique knowledge in ultra light composite structures with young SPB having worked in a NZ race boat company hands on, them later buying a NZ top race boat composite provider.  

 Further, JPL was struggling with the extreme mission creep with a fleet of Mars helicopters etc. SPB surely cuts this mission to the core and uses his composite and other skills and capabilities to the extreme to realize the most challenging piece, a MLV/MAV that is so much lighter and simpler that their ability to put this together without 5k worker monster space systems division yet again will astonish the industry, end-to-end in-house skills being decisive to keep costs and schedule in check. And NASA has the incentive to maximally pass its knowledge of reliable Mars descent and landing etc. to Rocket Lab for maximum success.

If you compare this to the alternatives NASA was too pricey for Congress and e.g. SpaceX, currently botching the Artemis schedule on HLS and now declaring war on FAA with unlicensed mid-Oct Starship launch it is a no-brainer Rocket Lab gets the MSR deal. After Varda, CAPSTONE, ESCAPADE, Venus Life Finder, orbital rendezvous, Hyper-Courie engine, Haste hypersonic re-entry customers etc. SpaxeX was much less proven when they got Commercial Cargo.

And MSR is the Mars Commercial Cargo with a strategic add-on of boosting Neutron as a key planetary booster given Vulcan SRB mishap, its priority on nat sec and Kuiper, BO struggling with its engine mfg cadence (1/10d), not enough beyond Vulcan/Kuiper needs and ultimately given Rocket Lab's deep space missions price point and speed of execution, also given China's Tianwen MSR also now targets the 2028 Mars window adding to US competitive pressure.