An overview of the ExoMars mission
Name: ExoMars
Mission: To address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars.
The ExoMars programme consists of two missions: the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) with an Entry, Descent and Landing Demonstrator Module, Schiaparelli, which launched in 2016, and the second, featuring ESA's Rosalind Franklin rover.
From orbit, TGO’s main objectives are to search for evidence of methane and other trace atmospheric gases that could be signatures of active biological or geological processes. With Rosalind Franklin’s unique drilling capabilities, the search for life will even extend underground, away from the harsh radiation conditions the surface is exposed to today.
Launch date: Trace Gas Orbiter: 14 March 2016; Rosalind Franklin rover surface mission, 2028.
Launch vehicle: TGO: Proton-M/Breeze-M; Rosalind Franklin, Falcon Heavy rocket.
Rover: 310 kg
Rover: 2 m high x 2.5 m wide
The industrial teams behind the mission elements involve companies across more than 20 countries, led by the prime contractor, Thales Alenia Space Italia. ESA's rover is developed under the leadership of Airbus, UK. The ExoMars rover has nine instrument payloads with principal investigators from seven countries. NASA provides the MOMA instrument in the rover.
ExoMars gets its name from the term ‘exobiology’, the study of life beyond Earth
Trace gases make up less than 1% of the total atmospheric inventory of a planet
TGO will detect atmospheric trace gases with an improved accuracy of three orders of magnitude compared to previous measurements
TGO’s successful arrival at Mars marks the second time that ESA has placed a spacecraft into orbit around the Red Planet, after Mars Express
TGO will act as a relay for the rover mission
Rosalind Franklin will be Europe's first rover on Mars
The rover has a unique drill to collect samples 2 m below the surface
The rover has unique driving skills such as wheel-walking, to overcome challenging terrain including sand traps
The rover can cover between about 50 and 100 m per martian day
The second main parachute, at 35 m wide, is the largest to fly on Mars
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