The European Space Agency has awarded £150m to Airbus UK to complete the touchdown system for the Rosalind Franklin rover, the first European Martian rover scheduled for 2028 launch.
The contract, which is funded through the UK Space Agency, is likely to attract international investment and sustain 200 high-skilled jobs in the UK space sector.
The ESA’s Martian rover will use a nuclear-powered device to function in the hostile Martian environment, where temperatures can drop to as low as -100 degrees Fahrenheit.
The rover will stay warm using innovative radioisotope heater units (RHUs). These RHUs use decaying isotopes like americium-241 to generate heat and electricity for spacecraft.
Named after the scientist key to DNA’s discovery, the UK-built rover will drill 2 meters into Mars to collect ice samples protected from radiation and extreme temperatures.
Unlocking Mars’ ancient secrets
Its mission is to search for ancient life, like fossilized microbes, and uncover clues about our solar system’s origins.
The mission relies on advanced UK robotics and autonomous navigation, also useful for extreme Earth environments like nuclear plants and deep oceans.
“This is humanity defining science, and the best opportunity to find if past life once existed on Mars,” Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency, said in a statement.
“The ripple effects of space exploration discoveries extend far beyond the realm of space exploration, driving progress and prosperity across multiple sectors in the UK, and inspiring technological advances to benefit us all.”
Airbus teams in Stevenage, under contract from Thales Alenia Space, will design mechanical, thermal, and propulsion systems to ensure the rover’s safe landing on the Red Planet.
They will also build the landing structure, the large propulsion system for final braking, and the landing gear to ensure a stable landing of the rover during touchdown.
Two ramps will be deployed on opposite sides of the lander to ensure the safest descent route for the rover.
Groundbreaking UK Technology
Several universities across the UK are involved in the development and launch of the rover.
Scientists from University College London’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory, along with teams from Aberystwyth University, Birkbeck College, and Leicester University, are developing the panoramic camera (PanCam) system for the rover.
Aberystwyth researchers are also building an infrared spectrometer to identify the most promising rocks for drilling and testing for signs of ancient life.
Airbus Defence and Space UK Managing Director Kata Escott said that while the mission is challenging, it will significantly boost the UK’s space expertise.
“Rosalind Franklin will be the first Martian rover able to analyse samples from two metres below the surface in its search for past or present life.
The mission will supercharge our space know-how in the UK, and will advance our collective understanding of our solar system,” Escott said in a release.
Airbus designed and built the rover in the bio-burden cleanroom in Stevenage before delivering it to Thales Alenia Space in 2019.
Originally scheduled for a 2022 launch, the mission was postponed due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
Airbus is now working with Thales, ESA, and NASA to maintain and upgrade various elements of the rover, including the accommodation of NASA-provided RHUs and a new software mode for autonomous operation post-landing.
The rover is set to land on Mars in 2030 to avoid the planet’s global dust season.
