| Mars-Grunt | |||||||||||
| Names List: | Expedition-M | ||||||||||
| Operator: | Russian Federal Space Agency | ||||||||||
| Spacecraft Bus: | Pereletny Modul or Flagman[1] | ||||||||||
| Manufacturer: | NPO Lavochkin Russian Space Research Institute | ||||||||||
| Launch Mass: | 4,100 kg | ||||||||||
| Landing Mass: | 2,750 kg, including Mars Ascent Vehicle (450 kg) | ||||||||||
| Dry Mass: | Orbiter: 450kg (990lb) | ||||||||||
| Power: | solar array | ||||||||||
| Launch Date: | 2030s (proposed) | ||||||||||
| Launch Rocket: | Angara A5 / KTVK | ||||||||||
| Launch Site: | Vostochny Site 1A | ||||||||||
| Launch Contractor: | Roscosmos | ||||||||||
| Interplanetary: |
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| Previous Mission: | Fobos-Grunt | ||||||||||
Mars-Grunt, also known as Expedition-M (Russian: link=no|Марс-Грунт),[2] is a proposed robotic Mars sample-return mission.[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] It was proposed to the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) by the Russian Space Research Institute.
As of September 2023, Mars-Grunt is expected to be sent to Mars following the success of Boomerang (Fobos-Grunt-2), which in turn is expected sometime after 2030.[8] [9]
If funded by the Russian space agency Roscosmos, it would be developed by the Russian Space Research Institute and NPO Lavochkin, based on Fobos-Grunt technology.[10] Designs show a dome-shaped lander would separate from the orbiter and would enter the Martian atmosphere protected within an inflatable rubber braking cone and fire retrorockets for a soft landing.[11] Once a robotic arm selects and retrieves the samples (mass about 0.2kg (00.4lb)),[3] a small rocket in the top of the lander would blast the ascent vehicle for rendezvous and docking with the orbiter for the soil sample transfer into the return vehicle.
The cruise stage PM (from Pereletny Modul Russian: link=no|Перелётный Модуль) is sometimes referred to as Flagman. It was developed for the Fobos-Grunt mission, but its basic architecture is promised to be the base for a whole generation of future planetary missions, including Luna-Glob, Luna-Resurs and Luna-Grunt to the Moon; Venera-D to Venus; Mars-NET and Mars-Grunt to Mars and, possibly, Sokol-Laplas to Jupiter. The platform's developer - NPO Lavochkin - stressed that in different configuration, the same bus could be adapted as an orbiter or as a lander.[1]
If the technology being developed for Luna Glob to the Moon, and Fobos-Grunt-2 to Mars' moon Phobos, is proved successful, it will then be used on Mars-Grunt.[12]
Tasks set by the NPO Lavochkin and Roscosmos:[13]