European Rover Rosalind Franklin to Resume Search for Life on โขMars โin 2028 with NASA Support
PARIS – The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosalind Franklin rover mission, designed to search for signs of past or present life onโค Mars, is back on track โfor a 2028 launch, thanks to renewed collaboration with NASA. Originally planned in partnership with Russia,the mission was suspended following the invasion of Ukraine.
The Rosalind Franklin โrover boasts โan unprecedented capability to drill up to two meters beneath the Martian surface, accessing areas shielded from radiation where evidence of life might be preserved.Equipped with instruments includingโ the MOMA (Mars โOrganic โขMolecule Analyzer), an organic molecule analyzer, aโ subsurface radar, and a โฃmass spectrometer, the rover will perform advanced โขanalysis ofโ Martian samples and detectโข potential biosignatures on-site, eliminating the need to return samples to Earth for study.
NASA will provide a launcher, landing system, and radioisotope heatingโ unitโค – critical components for the mission’sโฃ success. This support allows ESA toโฃ reactivate the Exomars programme with a revised launch dateโข ofโ 2028 and an anticipatedโ arrival on โขmars in 2030. The additional time will โฃbe used to adapt the rover’s systems andโ strengthen โtransatlantic cooperation.
For Europe,the rosalind Franklin rover โrepresents a landmark achievement in planetary exploration,marking the โฃcontinent’s first independent foray into โMartian surface exploration.The mission underscores aโ growing European ambition to play a leading role in โspaceโ alongside โขtheโ United States,China,and India.
The primary goal of the mission is to investigate the possibility of ancient life on โMars, contributing to the basic question โฃof whether lifeโ exists beyond Earth. This project signifies a renewed scientific ambition and โขa return to strong space cooperation between ESA and NASA,โข opening a new โchapter in planetary exploration with significant scientific and strategic implications.