NASA has unveiled a $700 million quest for a new spacecraft to orbit Mars and relay communications back home. The stakes are high, with some fearing a rushed, closed-door deal could jeopardise the mission.

The craft, now known as the Mars Telecommunications Network (MTN), is set to launch by October 1 this year. Yet doubts linger: can NASA really choose from such a narrow pool of companies that received funding for Mars Sample Return studies?

While Congress ploughed $700 million into what seemed like an unremarkable relay mission, the move could yet breathe new life into the ambitious but cancelled Mars Sample Return project.

Will this procurement be seen as a smart investment in space exploration or just a messy scramble for cash? The answers, it seems, are floating high above the red planet.