Update: A minibus spending package passed by the House of Representatives on January 8, 2026, effectively cancels the Mars Sample Return program by eliminating almost all funding for future missions.

In a stunning reversal for planetary science, NASA’s high-profile Mars mission to bring rock samples back to Earth has been canceled following a severe funding cut by the U.S. Congress. The decision ...

A “selfie” taken by the Perseverance Mars rover as it examines Cheyava Falls, an arrowhead-shaped rock in the center that contains potential biosignatures of past Martian life. Credit: ...

A crescent of the northern hemisphere of Mars taken by Tianwen-1's medium-resolution camera in March 2021. Credit: CNSA/PEC ESPOO, Finland — China’s Tianwen-3 Mars sample return mission is entering ...