NASA announces public-private partnership with Relativity Space for Mars atmospheric science

WASHINGTON (NASA) NASA announced a public-private partnership Wednesday to advance Mars atmospheric science. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman made the announcement during an event at Relativity Space on June 17, 2026. Under the agreement, NASA will provide the Aeolus atmospheric-science instrument payload suite. Relativity Space will supply the spacecraft, rocket and cruise operations to deliver the instruments to Mars. Aeolus is scheduled to launch in 2028 and is designed to provide the first integrated daily global view of Martian winds, temperatures, dust and clouds. Researchers at NASA's Ames Research Center will design, build and integrate the payload. Relativity Space will manage spacecraft development and mission operations. NASA will support operations of the science instruments for at least one Martian year while Relativity Space maintains the spacecraft. The effort is supported under NASA's first six-year reimbursable Space Act Agreement. NASA will also develop the data-processing pipeline for the measurements.