Published: 10 Apr 2025
Airbus has
been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Thales Alenia Space (TAS -
a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%)), the ExoMars
industrial prime contractor, to build key systems for the ExoMars lander that
will safely place the Rosalind Franklin rover on the surface of the Red
Planet.
After entry
and descent through the Mars atmosphere and a parachute assisted braking phase,
the landing platform provided by Airbus will ensure a safe landing on the
surface of Mars and support the deployment of the rover onto the surface.
Kata
Escott, Managing Director Airbus Defence and Space UK said: “Getting the
Rosalind Franklin rover onto the surface of Mars is a huge international
challenge and the culmination of more than 20 years’ work. 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. 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."
UK
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “This inspiring example of world-class
British science will bring us one step closer to answering long-asked questions
on potential life on Mars. Landing the first ever home-grown rover on Mars,
Airbus will not only help Britain make history and lead the European space race
but also bring hundreds of highly skilled jobs and investment as we secure
Britain’s future through our Plan for Change.”
Under
contract from TAS, who are leading the Rosalind Franklin mission, Airbus teams
in Stevenage will design the mechanical, thermal and propulsion systems
necessary for the landing platform to ensure the touchdown is safe in 2030.
This will include the landing structure, the large propulsion system used to
provide the final braking thrust, and the landing gear to ensure the lander is
stable on touchdown. The lander will feature two ramps that will be deployed on
opposite sides to enable the rover to be driven onto the Martian surface using
the least risky route.
Airbus teams in Stevenage have designed and built more than 120 propulsion systems for more than 90 spacecraft, providing chemical, electric and cold gas systems for telecoms, Earth observation, science and exploration missions. The ExoMars landing system will need to slow the landing platform from 45m/s at the end of the parachute descent phase to less than 3m/s before touchdown using retro rockets.
Airbus designed and built the Rosalind Franklin rover in the bio-burden cleanroom in Stevenage, before delivering it to TAS in 2019. Launch was originally scheduled for 2022, but the mission had to be postponed due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
Airbus is working with TAS, ESA and NASA to maintain and upgrade various elements of the Rosalind Franklin rover in preparation for its planned launch in 2028 on a NASA supplied launcher. This includes the accommodation of NASA provided Radioisotope Heater Units (RHUs) to keep the rover warm on the Martian surface as well as a new software mode to allow the rover to quickly transition into an autonomous state after landing. The rover is planned to touchdown on the surface of Mars in 2030 to avoid landing during the planet’s global dust season.
Source – Airbus.com
Published: 10 Apr 2025
Airbus has
been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Thales Alenia Space (TAS -
a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%)), the ExoMars
industrial prime contractor, to build key systems for the ExoMars lander that
will safely place the Rosalind Franklin rover on the surface of the Red
Planet.
After entry
and descent through the Mars atmosphere and a parachute assisted braking phase,
the landing platform provided by Airbus will ensure a safe landing on the
surface of Mars and support the deployment of the rover onto the surface.
Kata
Escott, Managing Director Airbus Defence and Space UK said: “Getting the
Rosalind Franklin rover onto the surface of Mars is a huge international
challenge and the culmination of more than 20 years’ work. 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. 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."
UK
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “This inspiring example of world-class
British science will bring us one step closer to answering long-asked questions
on potential life on Mars. Landing the first ever home-grown rover on Mars,
Airbus will not only help Britain make history and lead the European space race
but also bring hundreds of highly skilled jobs and investment as we secure
Britain’s future through our Plan for Change.”
Under
contract from TAS, who are leading the Rosalind Franklin mission, Airbus teams
in Stevenage will design the mechanical, thermal and propulsion systems
necessary for the landing platform to ensure the touchdown is safe in 2030.
This will include the landing structure, the large propulsion system used to
provide the final braking thrust, and the landing gear to ensure the lander is
stable on touchdown. The lander will feature two ramps that will be deployed on
opposite sides to enable the rover to be driven onto the Martian surface using
the least risky route.
Airbus teams in Stevenage have designed and built more than 120 propulsion systems for more than 90 spacecraft, providing chemical, electric and cold gas systems for telecoms, Earth observation, science and exploration missions. The ExoMars landing system will need to slow the landing platform from 45m/s at the end of the parachute descent phase to less than 3m/s before touchdown using retro rockets.
Airbus designed and built the Rosalind Franklin rover in the bio-burden cleanroom in Stevenage, before delivering it to TAS in 2019. Launch was originally scheduled for 2022, but the mission had to be postponed due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict.
Airbus is working with TAS, ESA and NASA to maintain and upgrade various elements of the Rosalind Franklin rover in preparation for its planned launch in 2028 on a NASA supplied launcher. This includes the accommodation of NASA provided Radioisotope Heater Units (RHUs) to keep the rover warm on the Martian surface as well as a new software mode to allow the rover to quickly transition into an autonomous state after landing. The rover is planned to touchdown on the surface of Mars in 2030 to avoid landing during the planet’s global dust season.
Source – Airbus.com
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