A growing fleet of robotic rovers, landers, and orbiters dedicated to searching for life on Mars will join the Rosalind Franklin rover when it arrives on the red planet. This mission was a collaborative effort between the Russian State Space Corporation and the European Space Agency. The launch services and the lander that would deliver Franklin to the surface were provided by the Roscosmos.
The Rosalind Franklin rover passed its System Qualification and Flight Acceptance Review in March after many years of development, testing, and delays. The launch window for the rover will open on September 20th, 2022, according to the Review Board. Due to the suspension of cooperation, the ESA's rover is stuck on Earth.
The decision to suspend cooperation was made by the ruling Council of the European Space Agency, which met in Paris from March 16th to 17th to assess the effect the Russian invasion of Ukraine would have on inter-agency cooperation. The Council made a unanimous decision.
The carrier and Decent modules will be sent to a storage site after the launch is suspended. A fast-track industrial study will begin assessing all available options after the decision by the Member States at the Council meeting.
Depending on the scenario, the teams will be looking for the earliest possible launch opportunity. The first attempt will be to develop all necessary technologies to support a Europea-led mission. The team will look at the possibility of launching with international partners and the availability of compatible launchers and a launch site in the second.
The Director of Human and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency is optimistic about the future of the program. The time and effort that the European Space Agency had devoted to this mission, plus the valued contributions it will make to the ongoing exploration of Mars, the agency is not about to abandon it. He said it in a recent press release.
“I hope that our Member States will decide that this is not the end of ExoMars, but rather a rebirth of the mission, perhaps serving as a trigger to develop more European autonomy. We count on brilliant teams and expertise across Europe and with international partners to reshape and rebuild the mission. The team is dedicated and focused on setting out the next steps to ensure we bring this incredible rover to Mars to complete the job it was designed for.”
The advanced drill and internal laboratory are some of the cutting-edge instruments that the Rosland Franking rover will bring to the field. The Rosalind Franklin will be the first to drill below the surface to obtain core samples. It will be the first to use wheel-walking to overcome obstacles.
There is still a presence around Mars with the TGO, which is part of the ExoMars 2016 mission. Most data from NASA's surface missions, such as the Perseverance rovers and the InSight lander, is relayed by the TGO. The TGO is expected to play a vital role in the upcoming Mars Sample Return campaign.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine resulted in widespread condemnation and sanctions by the international community. Russia recently withdrew from the International Space Station and terminated its cooperation with other space agencies.
The space agencies continue to work together to fulfill their vision of space exploration. Considering how beneficial the Rosalind Franklin rover will be to the ongoing search for life on Mars, it seems like a safe bet that the European Space Agency will ensure that it gets to Mars. Politics are trivial compared to answering fundamental questions about life in our Universe.
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