| Names | Expedition-M |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Single launch: orbiter, lander, ascent vehicle,sample-return |
| Operator | Russian Federal Space Agency |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | Pereletny Modul orFlagman[1] |
| Manufacturer | NPO Lavochkin Russian Space Research Institute |
| Launch mass | 4,100 kg[2] |
| Landing mass | 2,750 kg, including Mars Ascent Vehicle (450 kg)[2] |
| Dry mass | Orbiter: 450 kg (990 lb) |
| Power | solar array |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2030s (proposed)[3] |
| Rocket | Angara A5 /KTVK[2] |
| Launch site | VostochnySite 1A |
| Contractor | Roscosmos |
| Mars orbiter | |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Peri altitude | 500 km (310 mi) |
| Apo altitude | 500 km (310 mi) |
| Mars lander | |
| Sample mass | ≈0.2 kg (0.44 lb)[4] |
Mars-Grunt, also known asExpedition-M (Russian:Марс-Грунт),[5] is a proposed roboticMars sample-return mission.[4][6][7][8][9] It was proposed to theRussian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) by theRussian Space Research Institute.
As of September 2023, Mars-Grunt is expected to be sent toMars following the success ofBoomerang (Fobos-Grunt-2), which in turn is expected sometime after 2030.[3][2]
If funded by the Russian space agencyRoscosmos, it would be developed by theRussian Space Research Institute andNPO Lavochkin, based onFobos-Grunt technology.[10] Designs show a dome-shaped lander would separate from the orbiter and would enter theMartian atmosphere protected within an inflatable rubber braking cone and fireretrorockets for asoft landing.[11] Once a robotic arm selects and retrieves the samples (mass about 0.2 kilograms (0.44 lb)),[4] a small rocket in the top of the lander would blast the ascent vehicle for rendezvous and docking with theorbiter for the soil sample transfer into the return vehicle.
The cruise stage PM (fromPereletny Modul Russian:Перелётный Модуль) is sometimes referred to asFlagman. It was developed for theFobos-Grunt mission, but its basic architecture is promised to be the base for a whole generation of future planetary missions, includingLuna-Glob,Luna-Resurs andLuna-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 forLuna Glob to the Moon, andFobos-Grunt-2 to Mars' moonPhobos, is proved successful, it will then be used on Mars-Grunt.[12]
Tasks set by the NPO Lavochkin and Roscosmos:[13]
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