Since the first successful recovery of Discovery 13 from orbit in 1960, developing a spacecraft capable of re-entering the atmosphere without burning up has been a major goal. As of the 2020s US and China have been capable of diving into the tricky atmosphere of Mars landing their robotic spacecraft without crashing. By the end of 2025, ESA could receive a mandate from its Member States to rapidly develop what the USSR accomplished on April 12, 1961