A British-built Mars rover stuck on Earth since the start of the war in Ukraine may soon be on its way after the UK Space Agency agreed to pay for its ride down to the Red Planet.
The European Space Agency’s Rosalind Franklin rover was supposed to land on Mars in 2023.
But the rocket powered system designed to ferry the fragile rover down to the planet’s surface was being built under contract by Russia‘s space agency Roscosmos.
After the invasion of Ukraine, ESA cancelled the contract, leaving the Rosalind rover, designed to search for signs of past life on Mars, stranded.
The £150m contract from the UK Space Agency for Airbus to replace the Russian landing system puts the mission back on track.
“We could unlock some of the key questions that humanity is asking of itself,” said Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science.
“If we could do that, and benefit from some of the results and the innovation that will flow from it, then I think this is a pretty good investment for Britain to have.”
It’s good news for the Rosalind rover – a central part of ESA’s ExoMars programme – because it’s been one of the most delayed, and disrupted missions in space history.
Early plans saw it launching in 2018.
But NASA, originally a partner in the venture, pulled out due to funding constraints leaving ESA member states having to make up the shortfall.
Completion of the lander was then delayed by COVID restrictions, then essentially grounded when Russia was booted out of the project.
‘Scary but exciting’
The rover could soon be on its way to the Red Planet
Constructed by Airbus UK at its facility in Hertfordshire, it looked for a while as if Stevenage was as close to Mars as the Rosalind rover was going to get.
Now Airbus has the contract to build the lander for the rover as well.
It’s a boost for the UK…
