There's also a sample container inside the rover intended to be sent back. The cached samples exist so that more can be taken, and so it's still possible to get samples if the sample container in the rover fails to open for some reason.
The initial plan for retrieval involved Roscosmos and ESA, but that's been called off for now. So they need some new plans. My favourite part of their initial sample return plan was the decision to not use a parachute to land it on earth, since they couldn't be sure one wouldn't fail.
The initial plan for retrieval involved Roscosmos and ESA, but that's been called off for now. So they need some new plans. My favourite part of their initial sample return plan was the decision to not use a parachute to land it on earth, since they couldn't be sure one wouldn't fail.