The space agency said it is considering two options that would cost in the $6 billion to $7 billion range, including one that would feature innovative designs by commercial partners.

The Mars Sample Return mission has been ranked as the highest priority by planetary scientists, who hope to find signs of ancient life on Mars.

The Mars Sample Return program has been way over budget and, according to NASA's administrator, has been "out of control." Now, the agency is exploring new options to get its Martian rock and dust samples back home to Earth.

NASA and the European Space Agency are planning to return some of these precious rock samples to Earth, the culmination of a decades-long dream to retrieve pristine rocks from Mars. The ambitious, multi-billion-dollar effort,

NASA has unveiled two revamped plans to bring Mars samples to Earth in the 2030s, reducing costs by nearly half from its initial $11 billion proposal while expediting the timeline.

NASA announced Tuesday it may turn to Elon Musk's SpaceX or Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin to help reduce the soaring costs of returning Martian rocks collected by the Perseverance rover to Earth.

Nasa's plan to return Martian rocks to Earth will be decided by the incoming Trump administration. Initially projected to cost up to $11 billion, the agency now estimates the mission could be completed for under $8 billion by reducing the size and weight of key components.