Nasa plans to send a new rover to Mars in 2020 as it prepares for a manned mission to the Red Planet, the US space agency said.
The announcement on Tuesday came a day after Nasa released the results of the first soil tested by the Curiosity rover, which found traces of some of the compounds like water and oxygen that are necessary for life.
US President Barack Obama’s administration “is committed to a robust Mars exploration program”, Nasa Administrator Charles Bolden said.
“With this next mission, we’re ensuring America remains the world leader in the exploration of the Red Planet, while taking another significant step toward sending humans there in the 2030s.”
Nasa was forced to pull out of some joint missions with the European Space Agency after its budget was slashed earlier this year.
It hopes to save money on the next rover – currently estimated to cost US$1.5 billion – by using spare parts leftover from Curiosity and sticking to the same successful design.