Europe’s first Mars rover will have a lander made in the UK
Airbus made the Rosalind Franklin rover, which is set to launch in 2028 to look for signs of past life on Mars.
Europe’s first rover going to another planet is back on track. The lander that will carry it to Mars will be built in the UK.
The Rosalind Franklin rover is part of the ExoMars mission by the European Space Agency (ESA). It is named after a scientist who helped discover DNA’s structure. The rover has a drill that can collect samples from 2 meters underground, which could be up to 4 billion years old.
Originally, the project was a partnership with Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, and was planned to launch in 2022. However, it was delayed after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Instead of canceling the mission, ESA found new funding and partners to replace the parts that Russia was supposed to provide.
NASA will now provide the rocket to launch the rover, along with other important parts like its heater units. The rover is set to launch in 2028 and reach Mars in 2030.
It has also been announced that Airbus will build the rover’s landing platform at its site in Stevenage, Hertfordshire. This is part of a £150 million contract from the European Space Agency (ESA), funded by the UK government through the UK Space Agency.
Airbus is already familiar with this mission, as it built the Rosalind Franklin rover. However, getting the rover to land safely on Mars is a big challenge.
“Landing on Mars is not easy, and the schedule is very tight,” said Caroline Rodier, the lander’s project manager.
The rover and landing platform will be inside a capsule, which Rodier compared to a Kinder Egg. This capsule will include a parachute and a heat shield.
As the capsule enters Mars’ atmosphere, the first parachute opens to slow it down. Then, both the parachute and the capsule are released, and a second parachute attached to the lander is deployed.
“When the platform gets close to the ground, it will fire its thrusters strongly to land safely,” Rodier explained.
Designing this landing platform is complicated, especially because it must slow down to less than three meters per second before touching down.
“With this system, the platform’s thrusters must work very hard to slow down and land safely. This requires a powerful propulsion system,” Rodier said.
“If you compare this with what we’ve done before with other spacecraft and missions, they usually have a much lower data capacity. This makes things challenging because it’s the first time we are using this type of propulsion system.”
Rodier also said that the team is working on legs for the lander and two ramps. These ramps will open after landing so that the Rosalind Franklin rover can safely move off the platform using the easiest path.
He added that the rover is also being improved and adjusted because the launch date has changed. This includes upgrades to its guidance and navigation system.
Paul Bate, the CEO of the UK Space Agency, said: “This is a major scientific mission and our best chance to find out if life once existed on Mars.
“We are proud to support this advanced technology. The benefits of space exploration go beyond just space—they help many industries in the UK and lead to new technologies that improve our lives.”
Published: 29th March 2025
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