ExoMars 2022 is a joint mission of ESA and Roscosmos (with contributions from NASA) with the goal to deliver two instruments to the surface of Mars: Kazachock, a Russian surface platform for environmental and geophysics measurements; and Rosalind Franklin, a Mars rover conducting searches for signs of life.
Kazachock includes 13 instruments, some of them in collaboration with other countries and agencies – such as the meteorological package METEO, which has radiation and dust sensors provided by Spain and pressure and humidity sensors provided by Finland. Other important instruments include, for example, the MAIGRET magnetometer, the dust suite and the M-DLS diode-laser spectrometer for atmospheric investigations.
The Rosalind Franklin rover boasts a drill with 2 metre drill depth and onboard laboratory to analyse the findings. Its primary goal is to find biomarkers and well-preserved organic material on its quest to find signs of life. Other instruments include the PanCam panoramic camera, CLUPI close-up imager and the WISDOM ground penetrating radar, amongst others.
While ESA and Roscosmos provide the two main instruments of the mission, NASA is also contributing, mainly with its research and scientific capabilities – specifically the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer and also providing the mass spectrometer and some of the key electronic components.
Originally planned for 2020, the launch was postponed until 2022 as this provides a more advantageous time slot of the Mars orbit for landing in 2023.
Sources:
ExoMars Mission Summary (2020). European Space Agency
ESA - Robotic Exploration of Mars—ExoMars Mission (2022). (n.d.). Retrieved September 9, 2021, from https://exploration.esa.int/web/mars/-/48088-mission-overview
FIG. 4. (Top) Front and rear views of the ExoMars rover with general... (n.d.). ResearchGate. Retrieved September 9, 2021, from https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Top-Front-and-rear-views-of-the-ExoMars-rover-with-general-dimensions-in-mm-Middle_fig4_318613770
mars.nasa.gov. (n.d.). ExoMars 2022 Rover and Surface Platform (ESA/Roscosmos) | Missions. NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. Retrieved September 9, 2021, from https://mars.nasa.gov/mars-exploration/missions/esa-exomars-2022-rover
Thompson, A. (2020, March 16). Europe postpones Mars mission over ExoMars rover issue and Coronavirus. TESLARATI. https://www.teslarati.com/esa-exomars-rover-delay-tech-issues-coronavirus/
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