NASA Mars Pact

NASA has announced a public-private partnership with Relativity Space to advance Mars science. The partnership will combine NASA's scientific leadership with commercial innovation, with NASA providing the Aeolus atmospheric-science instrument payload suite and Relativity Space supplying the spacecraft, rocket, and cruise operations.

The Aeolus mission, scheduled to launch in 2028, will provide the first integrated, daily, global view of Martian winds, temperatures, dust, and clouds. The mission will help improve models for dust, winds, temperature, and seasonal atmospheric behavior, generating detailed environmental knowledge required to reduce risk for future crewed and uncrewed landings.

Researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center will design, build, and integrate the payload, while Relativity Space will manage spacecraft development and mission operations. The partnership reflects NASA's growing commitment to approaches that accelerate discovery, expand mission cadence, and strengthen the foundation for future human exploration.