[6] While the Perseverance rover collects and caches samples on Mars, scientists and technicians at JPL are developing helicopters that will retrieve them.

Unlike the Ingenuity "technology demonstrator", the Sample Return Helicopters will have ~10 centimetres (3.9 in) longer rotors with 3500 rpm,[7] will have a payload capacity of 280 g (9.9 oz), a small manipulator arm with a two-fingered gripper, and self-propelled, wheeled landing gear (each being ~2 cm (0.79 in) wide, with an outer diameter of ~10 cm (3.9 in)), enabling them to roll up, grab a sample, and fly to the return vehicle.

[11][12] The intermediate transportation of the collected samples on the surface of Mars was initially undertaken by the European Space Agency (ESA), which included this project in its ExoMars program.

The Mars 2020 mission landed the Perseverance rover, which is storing samples to be returned to Earth later.

Mission planners intend that Perseverance itself will retrieve samples that it previously cached on the surface and drive them to the ascent rocket, given its expected longevity.