The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
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Closeup of the Rosalind Franklin rover’s drill unit. The image is of the rover ‘ground test model’ – a replica rover situated at the Rover Operations Control Centre, in Turin, Italy, and used for rehearsing commands.
The rover will be the first in Mars exploration that will be able to retrieve soil samples down to 2 m underground, where ancient biomarkers may still be preserved from the harsh radiation on the surface. Upon retrieval of the samples, they will be analysed in a sophisticated laboratory inside the rover.
In this image, the Close-Up Imager, CLUPI, is visible as the ‘box’ on the side of the drill unit. CLUPI will be able to study various aspects of the drilling process, from the ‘drill fines’ around the drill hole, to the samples themselves while they sit on the sample tray. When the drill is in stowed position, CLUPI can also take photos of the landscape to the side of the rover.