N° 24–2024: ESA and NASA join forces to land Europe’s rover on Mars

Both agencies have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding to formalise the provision of key elements for the Rosalind Franklin rover mission. ESA is working to launch in 2028 its most ambitious exploration mission to search for past and present signs of life on Mars.

ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration Daniel Neuenschwander and NASA’s Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate Nicola Fox signed the agreement on 16 May 2024 at ESA’s headquarters in Paris, France.

Two years ago, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, ESA discontinued its cooperation with Roscosmos on the ExoMars rover mission. In an extraordinary effort, ESA, its Member States and European industry reshaped the mission with new synergies and partnerships.

Besides the launch service and throttleable braking engines, the main update is that NASA in partnership with US Department of Energy (DOE) will provide the lightweight radioisotope heater units (RHUs) for the rover. Led by the UK, work on the development and certification of a European RHU to fly on the mission will continue in parallel. The ESA GSTP/ENDURE programme (ENDURE standing for ‘European Devices Using Radioisotope Energy’) will deliver an end-to-end European capability for radioisotope heat and power systems by the end of this decade.

“This pivotal agreement strengthens our collaborative efforts for the ExoMars programme and ensures that the Rosalind Franklin rover will set its wheels on martian soil in 2030,” said Daniel Neuenschwander.

“Together, we are opening new frontiers in our quest to uncover the mysteries of Mars. We demonstrate our commitment to pioneering space exploration and expanding human knowledge,” he added.

Rosalind Franklin will be the first rover to drill to a depth of up to two metres below the surface, acquiring samples that have been protected from surface radiation and extreme temperatures. The mission will serve to demonstrate key technologies that Europe needs to master for future planetary exploration missions.

“The Rosalind Franklin rover’s unique drilling capabilities and onboard samples laboratory have outstanding scientific value for humanity’s search for evidence of past life on Mars,” said NASA's Nicola Fox. “NASA supports the Rosalind Franklin mission to continue the strong partnership between the United States and Europe to explore the unknown in our solar system and beyond.”

The next milestone will be the rover’s system preliminary design review in June 2024.

Information

More information about ExoMars: www.esa.int/exomars

More information about ESA: www.esa.int  

Images

Images of ExoMars: ESA ExoMars

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Videos

Videos about ExoMars: ESA Television - Videos - 2022 - 01 - ExoMars Rover B-Rolls

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About the European Space Agency

The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space. 

ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. 

ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia are Associate Members. 

ESA has established formal cooperation with four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement. 

By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions. 

Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int