The European Space Agency and ExoMars prime contractor Thales Alenia Space have awarded Airbus a £150 million (€179.4 million) contract to build the landing platform for Europe’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover.
In April 2024, the European Space Agency (ESA) awarded Thales Alenia Space (TAS) a €522 million contract to replace key components of its ExoMars mission, which were lost after cutting ties with former partner Roscosmos. The deal also includes maintenance and upgrades to hardware already built.
On 29 March, Airbus announced that it had been selected by ESA and TAS to develop a landing platform that will be responsible for the final phases of the rover’s descent to the Martian surface, including the landing burn. The contract includes the development of the landing structure, propulsion systems, and landing gear. The lander will feature two ramps deployed on opposite sides, allowing the rover to be extracted onto the planet’s surface via the safest route.
“Getting the Rosalind Franklin rover onto the surface of Mars is a huge international challenge and the culmination of more than 20 years’ work,” said Kata Escott, Managing Director of Airbus Defence and Space UK. “We are proud to have built the rover in our state-of-the-art Stevenage cleanroom and delighted now to develop the project to ensure its safe delivery to Mars.”
The Rosalind Franklin rover and its lander will launch aboard a NASA-supplied rocket in 2028 and are expected to touch down on the Martian surface in 2030. The rover will be the first European-made vehicle to land on the Red Planet. Designed to search for signs of past life on Mars, it is equipped with a drill capable of reaching two metres below the surface, deeper than ever before. At that depth, potential biosignatures are more likely to be preserved, shielded from the harsh radiation and oxidation present on the planet’s surface.
