The strategy for NASA's sample return to Mars is still coming together.

The agency announced on Monday (Feb. 7) that Lockheed Martin has been chosen to build the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV), a small rocket that would return pristine samples from the Red Planet to Earth in a decade or so.

"Committing to the Mars Ascent Vehicle represents an early and concrete step to hammer out the details of this ambitious project not just to land on Mars, but to take off from it," Thomas Zurbuchen, the associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters, said in a statement.

"We are nearing the end of the conceptual phase for this Mars Sample Return mission, and the pieces are coming together to bring home the first samples from another planet," Zurbuchen added. "Once on Earth, they can be studied by state-of-the-art tools too complex to transport into space."

NASA and the European Space Agency collaborate on the Mars Sample Return mission (ESA). The mission is already well underway, owing to NASA's Perseverance rover, which landed on Mars in February 2021 and has already collected a number of samples. If all goes according to plan, the six-wheeled robot will collect several dozen additional samples.

The next important steps will be taken in the mid-2020s, with the launch of two new missions: NASA's Sample Retrieval Lander (SRL) and the European Space Agency's Earth Return Orbiter (ERO).

The MAV and an ESA "fetch rover" will be sent to the Martian surface by SRL. The retrieve rover will transport the samples obtained by Perseverance — or the location(s) where Perseverance has stashed them — to the MAV, which will send them into orbit around Mars. After that, a container containing the samples will meet up with the ERO, which will transport it back to Earth, possibly as early as 2031.

NASA officials have stated that once the samples arrive on the ground, scientists in well-equipped labs throughout the world will examine them for traces of ancient Martian life, information about the planet's evolutionary history, and other issues of interest.

"This groundbreaking endeavor is destined to inspire the world when the first robotic round-trip mission retrieves a sample from another planet — a significant step that will ultimately help send the first astronauts to Mars," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in the same statement. 

"America’s investment in our Mars Sample Return program will fulfill a top-priority planetary science goal and demonstrate our commitment to global partnerships, ensuring NASA remains a leader in exploration and discovery," Nelson added.

According to NASA officials, the recently announced MAV contract has a potential value of $194 million. The six-year contract will begin on February 25 and end on February 25. Lockheed Martin will manufacture additional MAV test units as well as the flight unit during this time.