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.

A mission for the Rosalind Franklin rover
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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.