The UK Space Agency said in an updated case study published on 30 September 2026 that NASA approved the Rosalind Franklin Support and Augmentation project, known as ROSA, in early 2026 and selected SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket to launch Europe's first Mars rover from Kennedy Space Center. The launch is currently due for late 2028, with landing on Mars in 2030, the agency said.
What changed
According to the UK Space Agency, NASA's ROSA project will provide hardware and services for the Rosalind Franklin rover mission, part of the European Space Agency's two-mission ExoMars programme.
The agency said the rover, the first European rover to traverse the surface of Mars, is being built by Airbus Defence and Space at the company's UK facility in Stevenage. It is named after Rosalind Franklin, the UK scientist whose work was central to understanding the structure of DNA.
What the rover is designed to do
The UK Space Agency said the rover will search the Martian surface for evidence of environments that may once have supported life, and may even still do so today. Its stated distinguishing feature is the ability to drill down to two metres into the surface, where samples are better protected from the harsh radiation affecting surface soil.
An on-board laboratory will determine each sample's mineral and chemical content and composition, the agency said. The mission will land in Oxia Planum, described as an area with ancient, clay-rich rocks dating back around 3.9 billion years; because clay minerals usually form in the presence of water, the agency called it a promising place to look for signs that Mars may once have had conditions suitable for life.
UK instruments and investment
The UK has invested around £490 million over the past 20 years in ExoMars, supporting over 200 high-skilled jobs, 31 UK scientists as named mission instrument team members and over 100 UK scientists involved more broadly, according to the agency.
The UK-led panoramic camera system, PanCam, is being developed by scientists from University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory with the University of Aberystwyth, Birkbeck College and the University of Leicester; the agency said it will take detailed images and help build 3D maps to choose where to drill.
The University of Leicester, Bradford University and the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory are named as key partners on the Raman Laser Spectrometer, which the agency said can identify minerals and chemical compounds including some biomarkers. Aberystwyth University, MSSL at UCL, STFC RAL and Qioptiq Ltd in St Asaph are developing the infrared spectrometer Enfys, meaning 'Rainbow' in Welsh.
The orbiter already at Mars
The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter started orbiting Mars in 2016 and began science operations in 2018, the UK Space Agency said, adding that it has relayed more data than all other Mars orbiters combined, including 13 million square kilometres of multispectral imagery.
The orbiter uses four scientific instruments to detect and analyse trace gases. The agency said TGO has not recorded any methane yet, but helped detect hydrogen chloride in the Martian atmosphere and discovered water-ice at low latitudes. Its CASSIS camera produces high-resolution imagery used to prepare for future landings, including the Rosalind Franklin rover mission.
Key facts and where they come from
- NASA approved the ROSA support project for the rover in early 2026.
In early 2026, NASA approved the Rosalind Franklin Support and Augmentation project, known as ROSA, which will provide hardware and services for the mission.
- NASA selected SpaceX's Falcon Heavy to launch the rover from Kennedy Space Center.
NASA also selected SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket to launch the rover from Kennedy Space Center.
- Launch is currently due for late 2028, with a Mars landing in 2030.
The launch is currently due for late 2028, subsequently landing on Mars in 2030.
- The rover can drill down to two metres to obtain samples.
the Rosalind Franklin Rover will have the unique feature of being able to drill down to two meters into the Martian surface to obtain samples
- The landing site is Oxia Planum, with rocks dating back around 3.9 billion years.
The mission will land in the Oxia Planum region of Mars, an area with ancient, clay-rich rocks dating back around 3.9 billion years.
- UK investment totals around £490 million over 20 years.
The UK has invested around £490 million over the past 20 years, supporting over 200 high-skilled jobs in the UK
- The rover is being built by Airbus Defence and Space in Stevenage.
The Rosalind Franklin rover is being built by Airbus Defence and Space, at the company’s UK facility in Stevenage, UK.
- The Trace Gas Orbiter has not detected methane so far.
Interestingly, TGO hasn’t recorded any methane yet, but it has made other important discoveries during its investigation.
- TGO has relayed more data than all other Mars orbiters combined.
It has relayed more data than all other Mars orbiters combined, including 13 million square kilometres of multispectral imagery.