The document discusses plans for the Mars 2020 mission, which will launch in July/August 2020 and arrive at Mars in February 2021. It will use a similar launch vehicle and Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing system as the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover. The Mars 2020 rover will be about 950 kg and have a prime surface mission of one Mars year to search for signs of past life and collect samples to cache for potential future return. Key parts of the flight system will leverage heritage from MSL to reduce cost and risk.

1. 1
Doug McCuistion
Director, Mars Exploration Program
Siemens PLM Conference
September 5, 2012
Mars 2020 Mission
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology
September 27, 2012
© 2012 California Institute of Technology. Government
sponsorship acknowledged.

2. Mars 2020 Project
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Pre-Decisional: For Planning and Discussion Purposes Only
LAUNCH
• Launch vehicle to be
similar class/capability
as for MSL
• Period: Jul/Aug 2020
CRUISE/APPROACH
• 7.5 month cruise
• Arrive Feb 2021
ENTRY, DESCENT & LANDING
• MSL EDL system: guided entry and
powered descent/Sky Crane
• 25x20km landing ellipse
• Access to landing sites ±30° latitude,
≤0.5 km elevation
• ~950 kg rover
SURFACE MISSION
• Prime mission of one Mars year
• 20 km traverse distance capability
• Seeking signs of past life
• Returnable cache of samples
• Prepare for human exploration of Mars
Mission Overview
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mars2020/
Mars 2020 APMC-2

3. Mars 2020 Project
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Pre-Decisional: For Planning and Discussion Purposes Only
MSL Heritage Flight System Applied
to Mars 2020
3
Cruise Stage Vehicle: Build to print
Backshell/Parachute: Build to print
Descent Stage Vehicle: Build to print
Rover: High heritage; Potential changes
expected to affect few subsystems
Heatshield: Build to print

4. Mars 2020 Project
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Pre-Decisional: For Planning and Discussion Purposes Only
Descent Stage
4
X-band Radio
• Under contract
Inertial Measurement Unit
• Contract in negotiation
Radar
• Flight Antennas
• Under contract
• Transmit/Receive Modules
• Completing MSL build; testing
Primary Structure
• MSL DTM
Descent Power Analog Modules
• Parts Procured, build begun
Descent Power Assembly
• Residual flight HW
Descent Stage Brake
• Contract in
negotiation
SDST
SPA
Diplexer

5. Geologist:
Spirit/Opportunity
(2004)
Experimentalist:
Pathfinder /
Sojourner (1997)
Geochemist:
Curiosity (2012)
10.5 kg 174 kg 900 kg
5

6. Looking North to Crater Rim
“If anybody has been harboring doubts about the status of U.S. leadership in
space, well, there’s a one-ton, automobile-size piece of American ingenuity,
and it’s sitting on the surface of Mars right now.”
-- John P. Holdren, president’s science adviser