At the UK Space Conference in Belfast this week, Airbus showcased a replica of the Rosalind Franklin rover, which is set to launch to the Red Planet at the end of the decade as part of the ExoMars programme.
Rosalind Franklin will drill and retrieve rock samples from up to 2 m below the planet’s surface, before using its advanced instrumentation to probe samples for ancient signs of life.
During the conference, the UK Space Agency announced that Aberystwyth University in Wales will lead the development of a spectrometer that will be used alongside the rover’s other sensors to investigate the Martian surface.