Thales Alenia Space, a joint company between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), announced today that it has signed two study contracts* with the European Space Agency (ESA) in the frame of a joint ESA-NASA study on an international Mars Sample Return mission. This latest mission to the Red Planet is designed to bring samples from the surface of Mars back to Earth. It represents a major new step forward in our exploration of the Solar System, its formation, and especially in our study of Mars and questions about its possible habitability.
