Rosalind Franklin (rover)
Rosalind Franklin rover model, 2024 | |
| Mission type | Mars rover |
|---|---|
| Operator | ESA |
| Website | www.esa.int/...ExoMars |
| Mission duration | ≥ 7 months |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Astrium · Airbus |
| Launch mass | 310 kg (680 lb) |
| Power | 1200 W·h/d solar array, 1142 W·h Lithium-ion battery |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2028 |
| Rocket | U.S Commercial Vehicle. |
| Mars rover | |
| Landing date | NET 2029 |
| Landing site | Oxia Planum |
ExoMars programme | |
Rosalind Franklin, previously known as the ExoMars rover, is a planned European robotic Mars rover, part of the international astrobiology programme ExoMars led by the European Space Agency (ESA). The rover is named after Rosalind Franklin, a British chemist and DNA research pioneer. Rosalind Franklin will be the first Mars rover to drill into a depth of up to two metres below the planet's surface. The rover was designed to search for biomolecules or biosignatures from past life. Its core task is to determine whether life ever existed on Mars, or still does today. As of 2025, Rosalind Franklin is expected to launch in 2028. The rover, together with the Airbus-built Landing Platform, will travel to Mars inside the Descent Module, connected to the Carrier Module.