(ESA/ATG MediaLab)
The Rosalind Franklin rover, which will search for possible traces of life on Mars as part of the second stage of the ExoMars program, has passed final checks and is technically ready for launch.
However the date for sending the device to Mars is unknown, since the ESA has ceased cooperation with Roscosmos.
The Russian space agency had created the landing platform for the mission and was responsible for its launch.
ExoMars is a two-stage program of the European Space Agency and the Russian Roscosmos to explore the Red Planet.
The first phase of the program began in 2016, when the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) orbiter and the Schiaparelli demonstration descent module went to Mars, sadly the second one crashed while trying to land on the planet.
As part of the second stage, it was planned to launch the Kazachok scientific station and the Rosalind Franklin rover equipped with a two-meter drill to Mars.
Initially, the launch date was 2018, but then the launch was postponed to 2020, and later to 2022 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, in February 2022, the ESA stated that the launch of the rover on September 20, 2022 is unlikely due to the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine
Then, in March the European agency confirmed that it would look for alternative ways to deliver the rover to Mars.
It was previously planned that the Russian Proton-M launch vehicle and the Breeze-M upper stage would be used for the launch.
On March 28, the ESA announced that the Rosalind Franklin rover had passed acceptance and system qualification checks and was technically ready for launch and delivery to the launch pad.
The agency is currently working on fast track options to send the rover to Mars as part of a European-led mission or in collaboration with international partners.
However, so far, no specific launch dates have been announced.
Source:
- ESA: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration/ExoMars/Rover_ready_next_steps_for_ExoMars
- Science: https://www.science.org/content/article/europe-fights-keep-mars-rover-alive-after-split-russia
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