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4w ago

Airbus Secures $194 Million Contract for ExoMars Landing Platform

The European Space Agency awards Airbus UK the contract to develop a key component for the 2028 ExoMars mission, marking a major step in Europe's Mars exploration efforts.

Airbus Defence and Space will build the landing platform that will deliver the ExoMars rover to the surface of Mars.
Airbus logo and miniature satellite model are seen in this illustration taken, March 10, 2025. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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Overview

  • Airbus UK has been contracted to build the landing platform for the Rosalind Franklin rover, scheduled to launch in 2028 and land on Mars in 2030.
  • The $194 million contract covers the platform's design and construction at Airbus's Stevenage facility, where the rover was also assembled.
  • The landing platform replaces Russian components dropped after the Ukraine conflict, with NASA contributing braking engines and heating units.
  • The Rosalind Franklin rover will drill up to two meters into the Martian surface to search for evidence of past microbial life.
  • This mission represents over 20 years of international collaboration and will deliver the first European-made rover to the surface of Mars.