NASA and ESA Forge Partnership to Enhance ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Rover Mission

NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ESA (European Space Agency) reportedly announced on Thursday that the two space giants were collaborating to aide the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission. This joint venture is aimed at expanding NASA’s involvement in the ESA-led mission that is slated for launch in 2028. The mission reportedly seeks to uncover traces of ancient life on the Red Planet.

Under the memorandum of understanding, the NASA Launch Services Program will engage a U.S. commercial launch provider for the Rosalind Franklin rover. Additionally, NASA will furnish heater units and elements of the propulsion system crucial for the rover’s landing on Mars. Notably, a groundbreaking instrument onboard the rover will be equipped with the capability to drill to a depth of up to 6.5 feet (2 meters) below the Martian surface, retrieving ice samples shielded from surface radiation and extreme temperatures.

Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, underscored the scientific significance of the Rosalind Franklin rover’s innovative drilling capabilities and onboard samples laboratory in the quest to unearth evidence of past life on Mars. The partnership between the United States and Europe, she emphasized, is instrumental in advancing humanity’s exploration of the unknown realms of our solar system and beyond.

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In a parallel collaboration with the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the French space agency CNES (Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales), NASA is contributing pivotal components to the rover’s primary science instrument, the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer. This instrument is designed to scour soil samples for the fundamental building blocks of life.

Moreover, NASA’s longstanding alliance with the Department of Energy will be further cemented through the utilization of radioisotope power sources on the agency’s space missions, with the Energy Department providing lightweight radioisotope heater units for the Rosalind Franklin rover.

The ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission aligns seamlessly with the broader Mars Sample Return multi-mission campaign, a collaborative effort spearheaded by both NASA and ESA.