According to the UK Space Agency, the Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover passed the latest tests and will be heading off for the Red Planet in September.
The ExoMars rover, which is part of the ExoMars Mission, was built in Stevenage (England) as a joint effort by the European Space Agency and Russia’s Roscosmos.
This car-sized vehicle begins the year with successful maintenance and functional testing behind it. It is now ready for its first flight.
It’s currently kept in a clean room in the Thales Alenia Space headquarters in Turin (Italy) alongside its launch partner, Russian Kazachok landing station.
In April there will be an end-of-the-mission review. Then, the satellite and any other mission components are taken to Baikonur, Kazakhstan for final preparations.
According to the UK Space Agency, the Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover passed the latest tests and will be heading off in September for the Red Planet.
The ExoMars rover, which is part of the ExoMars Mission, was built in Stevenage (England) as a joint effort by the European Space Agency and Russia’s Roscosmos.
Formerly known as ExoMars Rover. The Rosalind Franklin was to be launched for the Red Planet around the same period as the NASA Perseverance Rover. But, delays were caused by the coronavirus epidemic.
Officials from the European Space Agency believed that additional testing, including the test of the descent parachute before launch, was necessary. Unfortunately, the time constraints of Covid-19 meant there wasn’t enough time for the tests to be completed.
Now, it is set to launch in September. It will arrive on Mars by June 2023.
Pietro Baglioni (ESA’s ExoMars team leader) says that the rover has been launched and, together with recent success in parachutes drop tests, it is certain to arrive on time for September’s launch.
Only once every two years and for about ten days, celestial mechanics would allow the spacecraft to reach Mars from Earth in the shortest possible time – nine months.
After it arrives on Mars, it will experience a nerve-wracking descent to the surface. Rosalind Franklin will then leave the landing station and take a drive around the Red Planet.
ESA would be only fourth agency after NASA, China and Soviet Union to have a spacecraft on another planet if everything goes as planned.
To prepare for this moment the Rosalind Franklin twin successfully left the platform at the end of recent Mars simulations in Turin.
The driving portion of these exercises is about 15 minutes long, but the process can take several Martian days because of time delays.
The egress operation is very important and takes a lot of time. For extra safety we need to be gentle with the egress, said Andrea Merlo from Thales Alenia Space, ExoMars head for robotics.
There are two exit ramps from the landing platform: one in the front, and one in the back. Rosalind can negotiate the steep slopes on the ramps but ground control will decide the best way to go.
Following landing, the Rover will work for more than a week unrolling its wheels, and disengaging the mast among other things.
The shorter journey of nine months to Mars is possible only once every two years. This is why last year’s launch was not possible.
ExoMars twin rocket, previously known as Ground Test Model has received a new name, Amalia. It is named after Amalia Ercoli, an internationally renowned spaceflight scientist.
The story of the Mars Rover will begin when the six wheels reach the surface of Mars. Merlo stated that they feel prepared and look forward to the actual mission.
ExoMars’ twin-rover has been renamed Amalia after Amalia Ercoli Finzi (a well-known astrophysicist who is a pioneer in spaceflight dynamics).
Amalia Ercoli finzi, the first female to study aeronautical engineering in Italy was also a scientist advisor for NASA and ESA.
She designed the drill on Rosetta’s Philae lander, that touched down on the surface of the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.
Her strong support for ExoMars drilling 20 years ago was also a key factor.
“I’m humbled and honored to be named this key element of ExoMars missions after myself. Amalia said, ‘Mars is waiting for our efforts.
Engineers use the Amalia Rover to create different scenarios, and then help them make decisions that will protect Rosalind in Mars’ challenging environment.
Although the model does not reflect the actual capabilities of the Red Planet Rover, it is representative of the conditions under which the Red Planet Rover will operate on Earth.
Amalia has so far demonstrated drilling soil samples down to 5ft 5 inches (1.7 metres) and operate all the instruments while sending scientific data to the Rover Operations Control Centre (ROCC) in Turin, Italy.
This hub will manage the European-built Mars Rover’s roaming and relay information from Rosalind Franklin back home to Earth via the Trace Gas Orbiter.
ESA-Roscosmos Trace Gas Orbiter currently carries out its own science mission and relays data from NASA Perseverance.
Rosalind Franklin and the spacecraft, lander, and other equipment must make it to Russia before any of this can take place. This will be their last trip on Earth.
Baglioni stated that the final software version that would allow the robot to explore Mars independently will be uploaded just prior to the Earth last journey.
The ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars 2022 mission will launch on a Proton-M rocket with a Breeze-M upper stage from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, in the 20 September – 1 October 2022 launch window.
A final inspection will take place in April before the rover and other elements of the mission go to Baikonur, Kazakhstan for preparations for lift-off.
Rosalind will be safe on Mars by engineers using Amalia’s rover.
The Mars-bound descent module, along with its Rosalind Franklin rover and Kazachok top science platform will be transported by a carrier module.
After landing safely on Mars in the Oxia planum region on Mars 10 June 2023 the rover is expected to drive off its surface platform and search out geologically fascinating sites to drill beneath the surface. This will allow the crew to verify if any life has ever been found on this neighbouring planet.
Sue Horne (Head of Space Exploration, UK Space Agency) said that the rover showcases the best in the UK’s space sector.
‘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.’