A Contract to Build a Mars Spacecraft Can’t Lift Airbus’ Gloom – Barron’s

Last week, European aerospace giant
Airbus
was picked to design and build a spacecraft headed for Mars, only to find itself dragged back to earth.The plane maker announced that it has won a contract with the European Space Agency for its joint mission with NASA to bring samples from Mars back to Earth. Airbus will build the Earth Return Orbiter, as well as a small rover to collect samples, for the five-year mission set to launch in 2026. The contract is worth 491 million ($577 million), the…

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