Artist's sketch based on the Curiosity rover in NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, with proposed modifications based on the science definition team's recommendations. Photo: NASA.
By Pat Host |
8 years ago |
08/18/2015

NASA plans to issue a solicitation for the Mars 2020 Rover launch vehicle in January with selection anticipated in July, according to a key official.

Mars 2020 Deputy Project Manager Matt Wallace said Monday via a spokesman that NASA anticipates the launch vehicle requirements will be similar to the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover launch vehicle. Wallace said the Mars 2020 Rover will have a similar weight as Curiosity at approximately one metric ton (1,000 kg). Curiosity and MSL launched in November 2011 on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket. 

Artist's sketch based on the Curiosity rover in NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, with proposed modifications based on the science definition team's recommendations. Photo: NASA.
Artist’s sketch based on the Curiosity rover in NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory mission, with proposed modifications based on the science definition team’s recommendations. Photo: NASA.

Wallace said Thursday via a spokesman NASA, in addition to competing the launch vehicle and instruments, is competitively selecting industry partners to support key new elements such as the sampling robot arm and sampling handle arm. Wallace said Monday NASA a request for proposals (RFP) for the sample handling arm has been released and proposals have been received. Source selection for the sample handling arm is now in process, he said.

Motiv Space Systems in May was awarded the 5-DOF robotic arm contract worth $10  million. NASA awarded $130 million in contracts on July 14 for the development of seven rover instruments.

NASA Director of Mars Exploration Program Jim Watzin told Defense Daily last week the agency is “well ahead of the game” on many Mars 2020 rover subsystems that are based from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover while the agency is facing typical engineering challenges with the new instruments. Wallace said the program has completed a significant amount of the hardware build for propulsion systems, avionics, power, telecommunication and radar. Procurements are in place for the thermal systems and Guidance Navigation Control (GNC) sensors, Wallace added.

Wallace said the new systems, mostly instruments and sampling systems, are following the traditional NASA and aerospace lifecycle where flight hardware builds initiate after critical design review (CDR). These contracts are already in place, Wallace said, and the remaining new element procurements are mostly associated with smaller components. The nature and extent of these procurement actions will be evaluated in the future, he said.

Launch is estimated for July-August 2020 with landing on Mars in February 2021 at a site to be determined (Defense Daily, August 13).