ExoMars rover leaves Toulouse

The Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover after completing environmental and vacuum testing in Toulouse, France. The rover was tested in a clean room to withstand conditions similar to those on Mars.

The vehicle left the Thales Alenia Space facilities in Toulouse on 11 February 2020 en route to Cannes, where it will be integrated with the carrier and descent modules, and it will undergo months of intense testing to confirm it is compatible with the mission operations and the martian environment.

The ExoMars rover will be Europe’s first planetary rover. It will search for signs of past or present life on Mars and is equipped with a 2m drill to take samples from below the surface where they will have been protected from the harsh radiation environment.