Airbus UK to design and build ExoMars lander
Airbus in the UK is to build the ExoMars lander that will take the Rosalind Franklin rover to the surface of Mars
The contract comes from the European Space Agency and Thales Alenia Space (TAS), a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%) to deliver the rover from orbit in 2030.
The ExoMars project, originally a joint venture with Russia, has faced considerable delays as a result of the war in Ukraine and Russian sanctions.
- £10m lifeline for Mars rover
- Li-ion battery to power search for life on Mars
- Calamities and recoveries in space
- Airbus to cut 2500 jobs in space systems
The lander aims to ensure a safe landing on the surface of Mars and support the deployment of the rover onto the surface.
“Getting the Rosalind Franklin rover onto the surface of Mars is a huge international challenge and the culmination of more than 20 years’ work,” said Kata Escott, Managing Director Airbus Defence and Space UK. Airbus UK has already built the rover in its clean room in Stevenage and delivered it in 2019, although it will be upgraded before the mission launch in 2028.
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.
Airbus will now design the mechanical, thermal and propulsion systems for the landing platform. This includes the lander with a large propulsion system used to provide the final braking thrust 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.
The lander will have 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 rover is planned to touchdown on the surface of Mars in 2030 to avoid landing during the planet’s global dust season
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