Aerojet Rocketdyne received a contract from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory to supply the thrusters for NASA's next Mars rover miss...
Under a contract from the U.S. Department of Energy, Aerojet would also supply the power source that would enable the rover to move around and conduct experiments on the red planet. Aerojet has provided propulsion for every US Mars mission since Viking 1 and Viking 2.
Aerojet says with no moving parts, its nuclear power source is extremely well suited for the harsh environment of Mars.
Aerojet will provide eight MR-80B 700-7 lbf thrusters and eight MR-107U 68 lbf thrusters, which would assist with the entry, descent and landing of the rover on Mars. These same thrusters were used to help successfully land Curiosity in 2012.
The baseline electrical power system for the rover features a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG), which was designed and developed by Aerojet Rocketdyne with Teledyne Energy Systems, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy.
The MMRTG, which is powering Curiosity, is designed to operate in a range of harsh environments, from the vacuum of deep space to extreme planetary surface atmospheres. It continuously provides both heat and electrical power to the rover to allow day and night operations. The heat is used to provide thermal stability for Curiosity's onboard electronics and mechanical systems.
NASA plans to base the 2020 mission on the design of the Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity, which landed in August 2012, currently operating on Mars.
Scientists would use the new Mars 2020 rover to identify and select rock and soil samples for collection and potential return to Earth on a future mission. It will be upgraded to include seven new instruments.
According to NASA, the Mars 2020 rover will help advance knowledge of how future human explorers could use the natural resources available on the red planet and help engineers learn how to use those resources to produce oxygen for human respiration or as an oxidizer for rocket fuel.
