ExoMars Mission and Partnerships

The European Space Agency (ESA) opted to collaborate with Russia for the launch of its ExoMars orbiter and rover. They used two Proton rockets and relied on Russian technology to deliver the rover to Mars. In return, ESA incorporated Russian scientific instruments into the mission. This collaboration was significant for Russian scientific bodies, as without such partnerships, they had little hope of sending research instruments to Mars.

In 2016, Russia successfully launched the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter via a Proton rocket. The orbiter remains active, transmitting valuable scientific information and assisting in communications for NASA’s Curiosity and Perseverance rovers. However, a small European technology demonstration probe that traveled alongside the orbiter crash-landed upon arrival at the red planet.

Delays pushed the ExoMars rover’s launch from its initial 2018 date to 2020. By that point, the rover was named after Rosalind Franklin, a British chemist known for her pioneering work in DNA research. However, just as the rover was nearing launch readiness, complications from parachute test failures and the COVID-19 pandemic caused further delays until late 2022.

Things took a significant turn when Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022, leading ESA to cut ties with Russia’s space agency. This effectively ended the ExoMars partnership, although all components, including the rocket and descent stage, had already been completed and were ready for assembly. Consequently, ESA also decided to remove two Russian scientific instruments from the mission.

In the wake of these changes, the US government intervened to ensure the Rosalind Franklin rover would still reach Mars. A new agreement between NASA and ESA was formalized in 2024, where the US committed to providing the necessary launch vehicle, braking engines for landing, and small nuclear-powered heaters to maintain the rover’s electronics in the cold Martian nights. NASA had previously contributed a mass spectrometer for the rover designed to analyze Martian soil for signs of organic molecules.

ESA continues to be responsible for the rover and the spacecraft that will transport it to Mars. They are also in charge of assembling the landing platform and operating the rover on Mars’s surface. The rover itself was constructed by Airbus in the UK, which is also providing the main structure for the lander that will land on Mars and deploy ramps for the rover’s mission. Meanwhile, the German company OHB designed the cruise stage, which will carry the rover from Earth to Mars, and Thales Alenia Space from Italy is assembling and preparing all the components for launch.