NASA Partners With Relativity Space for 2028 Mars Mission

Getting humans safely to Mars just got a major boost from an unexpected partnership between NASA and a cutting-edge private space company.

NASA announced this week that Relativity Space, led by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, will provide the spacecraft and rocket for the agency's Aeolus probe. The mission, launching in 2028, will monitor Mars's atmosphere to help make future landings safer for both robots and astronauts.

The probe will study temperature, dust, wind and cloud patterns on Mars using four NASA-built instruments. Scientists have been developing Aeolus since 2017, and the data it collects could prove crucial for planning future human missions to the Red Planet.

Relativity Space brought fresh energy to the aerospace industry when it launched in 2016 with bold plans to 3D-print rocket components. Schmidt took the helm as CEO in March 2025, and the company's reusable Terran R rocket is set for its debut flight later this year.

Under the partnership terms, NASA will support the scientific instruments for at least one Mars year (about 1.88 Earth years). Relativity Space will maintain the spacecraft itself, bringing commercial efficiency to a government science mission.

"Public-private partnerships like this are a force multiplier for science," said NASA administrator Jared Isaacman. "By pairing NASA's world-class instruments with commercial innovation and investment, we can deliver more science, more often."

The Ripple Effect

This collaboration represents a new model for space exploration that benefits everyone. NASA gets faster, more affordable access to Mars while Relativity Space gains valuable experience in deep space missions.

The timing is especially important because NASA recently lost contact with its MAVEN spacecraft, which had been studying Mars's atmosphere since 2013. Aeolus will help fill that gap and restore crucial monitoring capabilities.

The partnership also demonstrates how commercial space companies are maturing beyond Earth orbit. By sharing costs and expertise, NASA and private companies can accomplish more together than either could alone.

When Aeolus reaches Mars orbit, it will join an international network of spacecraft working to unlock the Red Planet's secrets and pave the way for future explorers.