Particle.news
Download on the App Store
3 ARTICLES
·
3w ago

ESA Says NASA Confirms Support for Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover

A NASA letter pledging a launcher, thermal and landing hardware, plus a U.S. instrument, gives the delayed mission a path forward despite unresolved funding questions.

The rover, which is named after British scientist Rosalind Franklin, is planned to touch down on the Martian surface in 2030

Overview

  • ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher told ministers in Bremen that he received a NASA letter confirming contributions to the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission.
  • The confirmed U.S. support covers a commercial launcher, a radioisotope heater unit, a braking engine, and one instrument focused on life-detection analysis.
  • The program remains targeted for a 2028 launch with a planned Mars landing in 2030 after earlier suspensions and delays.
  • The rover is designed to drill about two meters below the surface and carries tools such as NASA’s MOMA and a ground-penetrating radar to search for past life.
  • The assurance arrives as proposed U.S. science budget cuts raise delivery risks, and SpacePolicyOnline reported it had not yet received direct confirmation from NASA.