NASA has just two Mars Sample Return mission lander options left

NASA is weighing two options for the Mars Sample Return mission, with a decision expected by 2026: JPL's sky crane technology or a commercial vendor for Mars landing. The mission's budget has been cut to $5-7 billion, with a new target return date of 2035-2039. Changes include using an RTG for power and dropping the helicopter sample retrieval plan. China's Tianwen-3 mission, launching in 2028, may return Mars samples before NASA.