rfpdaily.com/mars

Mars

"Mars is not a dream. It's a line item."

Mars RFP Tracker — Red Planet Contracts & Procurement

The Mars page tracks every active and pending solicitation for Mars exploration, from robotic mission procurements and ISRU technology development to human architecture studies and sample return planning. Browse active Mars solicitations, follow the robotic mission pipeline, or explore Mars ISRU programs. For the full ranked view across all destinations, visit the 2026 tracker. For real-time bid updates, watch the live ABOI feed.

Latest Analysis

EDITORIAL STEM

NASAopen

Mars Sample Return | What Replaces the $11B Plan

$110M redirectMSR cancelled

Congress eliminated the $11B Mars Sample Return campaign and ESA cancelled the Earth Return Orbiter. $110M survives in a Mars Future Missions line. What architecture rises from the rubble, and which contractors it carries.

EDITORIAL STEM

NASA / BWXTopen

SR-1 Freedom | America's First Nuclear Spacecraft

~$1B+Mars launch 2028

NASA's first nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft targets a December 2028 Mars launch, with BWXT fabricating the reactor. Integration contracts are not yet publicly awarded, making this the hottest open seat in space nuclear.

EDITORIAL STEM

CNSAopen

Tianwen-3 | China's the Only One Still Going for Mars Rocks

Only funded MSRLaunch ~2028

With the Western sample-return architecture collapsed, China's Tianwen-3 is now the only funded mission to bring Mars rocks home. The geopolitics of who holds the first samples just shifted east.

EDITORIAL STEM

NASA / ROCKET LABopen

ESCAPADE | New Glenn's First Mars Science Delivery

$80M twin probesMars arrival 2027

Two small spacecraft launched on New Glenn's debut, headed for Mars orbit in 2027 to study how the solar wind strips the atmosphere. The model for cheap, fast planetary science under a tight cap.

EDITORIAL STEM

ESA / NASAopen

Rosalind Franklin | NASA Launches ESA's Rover

~$1.8BLaunch late 2028

Europe's Mars rover, rebuilt after the Russia partnership collapsed, now flies on a NASA-procured vehicle in 2028 with a two-meter drill. A growing model where NASA brokers launches for allied science.

EDITORIAL STEM

DARPA / NASAopen

DRACO Cancelled | Nuclear Thermal Loses Its Flight Demo

Programmed outDemo cancelled

The DRACO nuclear thermal propulsion flight demo was cancelled, sending General Atomics and Standard Nuclear teams toward SR-1 support or DoD work. The first US nuclear propulsion test since NERVA slips again.

EDITORIAL STEM

JAXAopen

MMX | JAXA's Race to Phobos and Back

~$450MLaunch Nov 2026

JAXA's Martian Moons eXploration heads to Phobos for a sample return, the nearest-term Mars-system mission in any pipeline. The integration phase is where the international payload contracts sit.

EDITORIAL STEM

NASAopen

Mars Future Missions | Where the $110M Redirect Goes

$110M lineRolling

The technology-continuity account that absorbed the MSR redirect. Where the money actually flows, from ISRU precursors to sample-return alternatives, and the BAA or SBIR tranche it implies.

EDITORIAL STEM

NASAopen

MOXIE's Orphan | Oxygen on Mars With No Follow-On

Proven, unfundedNo successor

MOXIE made oxygen from Mars air at twice its design rate, then ended with no funded successor. Five orders of magnitude separate the demo from what a crew needs. The scale-up nobody has bought yet.

Active RFPs

SOL-2026-NASA-MFM-01

NASAopen

Mars Future Missions | Technology Continuity Line

$110MRolling

Preserved funding line after MSR cancellation. Supports technology maturation for future Mars missions including sample return alternatives and ISRU precursors.

SOL-2026-NASA-M2M-NS3

NASAopen

Moon to Mars NextSTEP-3 Appendix B | Architecture Studies

Multiple awardsDue May 15, 2026

Multiple Award Task Order Contract for Moon to Mars architecture studies. Solicitation released January 30, 2026. Focus on integrated human exploration roadmap.

SOL-2026-JAXA-MMX-INT

JAXAclosing

JAXA MMX | Phobos Sample Return Integration Phase

~$450M totalDue Sep 1, 2026

Martian Moons eXploration mission entering final integration for November 2026 launch. International payload call closed. First Mars-system sample return attempt.

SOL-2026-ESA-EXOMARS-LV

ESAclosed

ExoMars Rosalind Franklin | Launch Vehicle Procurement

~$200MClosed Apr 2026

ESA procured NASA-provided launch vehicle for Rosalind Franklin rover after Russia partnership dissolved. Launch targeting late 2028 with 2-meter subsurface drill.

Mars Sample Return

PROGRAM TRACKER

NASA/ESAcancelled

NASA-ESA Mars Sample Return Campaign

$11B est. (cancelled)Cancelled Jan 2026

Congress eliminated MSR funding in January 2026. ESA subsequently cancelled the Earth Return Orbiter. $110M preserved in Mars Future Missions for technology continuity.

PROGRAM TRACKER

CNSAactive

Tianwen-3 Mars Sample Return

TBDLaunch ~2028

Now the only funded Mars sample return mission globally. China's systematic approach bypasses the Western MSR architecture collapse.

Human Architecture

PROGRAM TRACKER

NASAactive

Moon to Mars Architecture

Study phaseHumans to Mars: 2040s target

NASA's integrated roadmap from Artemis lunar operations to eventual human Mars missions. Formulation continues but crewed Mars segment remains decades away.

PROGRAM TRACKER

SPACEXDelayed

Starship Mars Colonization

Private fundingDelayed 5-7 yrs (Feb 2026)

SpaceX delayed Mars-specific plans 5-7 years to focus on lunar operations and Starship orbital capabilities. No crewed Mars mission is currently funded.

Robotic Missions

PROGRAM TRACKER

NASAactive

Perseverance Rover (Mars 2020)

$2.75B mission1,818+ sols on Mars

Active on Mars collecting and caching samples. Ingenuity helicopter companion exceeded all expectations, opening rotorcraft as a new exploration modality.

PROGRAM TRACKER

ESAIn Development

ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Rover

~$1.8B totalLaunch late 2028

Europe's Mars rover with a 2-meter drill for subsurface sample collection. Restructured after Russia partnership dissolved. Launch on NASA-procured vehicle.

PROGRAM TRACKER

JAXAIn Development

Martian Moons eXploration (MMX)

~$450MLaunch ~Nov 2026

JAXA mission to Phobos for sample return to Earth. Nearest-term Mars system mission in any nation's pipeline. Procurement for integration phase underway.

Mars ISRU

PROGRAM TRACKER

NASACompleted

MOXIE Oxygen Production Experiment

Included in Mars 2020122g O2 produced; 2x design

Proved oxygen production from Mars CO2 atmosphere works at twice design performance. No funded follow-on mission. 5 orders of magnitude scale gap to human mission needs.

RESEARCH

MULTIPLELab Stage

Sabatier Propellant Production & Ice Extraction

Various grantsPrototype stage

Membrane Sabatier reactors for LOX-methane production, RedWater subsurface ice extraction, and biological regolith construction all advancing at lab scale. No Mars deployment funded.

Sector Profiles

Sector profiles cover 18 programs across Mars sample return, human architecture, robotic missions, and ISRU technology. Full profiles sourced from verified research across NASA, ESA, JAXA, CNSA, and official agency announcements.