The European Space Agency (ESA) rover starts the year with months of successful maintenance and functional tests behind it. All its instruments ready, with some minor adjustments left to do. 

“The Rosalind Franklin rover showcases some of the best of the UK’s space sector and its search for signs of life on Mars will inspire future generations of scientists and engineers.

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It’s very exciting to see this flagship mission pass the latest tests and see the fruition of many years’ hard work as we look forward to the launch later this year” – explains Sue Horne, Head of Space Exploration at the UK Space Agency.
Pietro Baglioni, ESA’s ExoMars rover team leader adds that “the rover is ready, and together with the recent drop test success for the parachutes, we are positive to be in time for the September launch date.”

The rover was built in Stevenage by Airbus, while the UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory led on a key instrument known as the PanCam, a high-resolution 3D camera that will look at the terrain and rocks in order to detect potential signs of life.

Cover photo: European Space Agency (Twitter @esa)

Author: Sebastien Meuwissen