USA Will Deliver Europe’s Rosalind Franklin Rover to Mars Instead of Russia in 2028

The European rover Rosalind Franklin is scheduled to be launched to Mars in 2028, NASA representatives said.

During the Ignition conference held on March 24, the US space agency presented several new initiatives related to its lunar program and deep space exploration.

Rosalind Franklin Mission Details

"In 2028, NASA will launch and deliver the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover to Mars, equipped with a NASA-provided mass spectrometer for the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA). This could enable the most advanced detection and analysis of organic materials ever conducted on Mars,” the agency stated.

The mission is part of the broader ExoMars program, aimed at searching for signs of past or present life on the Red Planet.

Shift in US Space Strategy

At the same event, NASA announced that the United States would halt construction of the joint lunar Gateway station with Europe, choosing instead to focus on building infrastructure directly on the Moon's surface.

In addition, under the Space Reactor 1 (SR-1) Freedom mission, the US plans to send a nuclear-powered spacecraft to Mars by the end of 2028. The mission will carry the Skyfall payload, which includes helicopter-type drones similar to Ingenuity.

ExoMars Program Background

Earlier, SpaceNews reported that Airbus Defence and Space will build a landing platform for the ExoMars mission, replacing Russia's former role in the project.

According to TASS, Europe previously returned the Kazachok landing module, which had been developed for the canceled ExoMars-2022 mission.

The original European-Russian ExoMars program was designed to search for extraterrestrial life both from orbit and on the surface of Mars. Its first phase, ExoMars-2016, launched successfully in 2016.

The second phase, ExoMars-2022, was intended to include a Proton-M rocket, the Kazachok landing platform, and scientific instruments for the Rosalind Franklin rover. The launch was scheduled for September 2022 but was canceled by the European Space Agency following geopolitical developments.