ExoMars rover to land on Mars aboard European-built platform
by Erica Marchand
Paris, France (SPX) Apr 01, 2025
The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded Airbus the contract to design and construct the landing platform for the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, marking a major step forward for the mission targeting a 2028 launch. The European-led initiative will search for traces of life, past or present, on Mars.
Airbus teams in the UK will handle development of the platform’s mechanical systems, thermal control, and propulsion. These elements are vital for ensuring a safe and stable landing when the rover reaches the martian surface in 2030. The platform will feature a robust landing framework, a powerful braking propulsion system, and stabilization equipment to secure the lander upon arrival.
Rosalind Franklin will be the first Mars rover to drill as deep as two meters below the surface, retrieving subsurface samples shielded from radiation and harsh surface conditions. In addition to its scientific goals, the mission will also test technologies Europe must master for future planetary exploration, including precision landing, autonomous mobility, and robotic sample analysis.
The descent to Mars will take just six minutes from atmospheric entry to landing. To manage this brief but intense phase, the lander will use parachutes and retro rockets to decelerate from 45 meters per second to under 3 meters per second. Once safely on the ground, the lander will deploy two ramps from either side, offering the rover flexible egress options based on surface conditions.
ESA has scheduled the rover’s arrival on Mars for 2030 to avoid the seasonal dust storms that could impede landing and operations. This timeline was adjusted after the original 2022 launch was delayed due to geopolitical complications stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Since then, ESA and its partners have worked to reconfigure the mission, with enhanced collaboration between ESA, its Member States, European industry, and NASA.
Airbus previously assembled the Rosalind Franklin rover at its cleanroom facility in Stevenage, UK, and delivered it to TAS in France in 2019. Ongoing upgrades include integration of thermal units to maintain onboard temperatures and a software update enabling autonomous operations shortly after landing.
“Getting the Rosalind Franklin rover onto the surface of Mars is a huge international challenge and the culmination of more than 20 years’ work. The mission will supercharge our space know-how in the UK, and will advance our collective understanding of our Solar System,” says Kata Escott, managing director at Airbus Defence and Space UK.
Related Links
Human and Robotic Exploration at ESA
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
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