ExoMars 2023: still an impossible mission?

EXOMARS. The ExoMars mission, stopped for almost a year, will it be able to see the light of day without the participation of Russia? The documentary “ExoMars, the impossible mission” broadcast last Wednesday on the National Geographic channel returned to this program with an uncertain future.

For 20 years, ESA has been working on the ambitious ExoMars program which could lead Europe to the red planet. Equipped with a particularly efficient rover, capable of drilling the Martian soil up to two meters deep and an orbiter launched in 2016, the ExoMars mission had everything to succeed. But since the beginning of the project, the difficulties follow one another and in spite of the pugnacity of the scientists who valiantly fought so that the program succeeds, ExoMars remains today a failure of space exploration. After many setbacks, the war in Ukraine got the better of the collaboration between the European and Russian space agencies on this program.

Today, ESA faces a new challenge: to replace the Russian elements of the mission with the help of the NASA and using a SpaceX corporate rocket for the launch. It is a daring bet which constitutes one more attempt to give life to this project marked by disappointments and postponements. ESA now hopes to see the Rosalind Franklin rover fly to the Martian surface before the end of the decade and turn this failure into a great success.

What is the ExoMars mission?

ExoMars is a space mission to the planet Mars developed by the European Space Agency, ESA, initially accompanied by NASA and then by the Russian Space Agency, Roscosmos until March 2022. The main objective of this project consists in sending the first European rover to the surface of Mars in order to search for the presence of traces of life on the planet red. For this, the ESA has developed a rover, named Rosalind Franklin, capable of drilling at a depth hitherto unequaled on Mars. The European Agency is therefore putting all the chances on its side to make great discoveries.

The initial project provided for a mission in two stages. In 2016, the TGO orbiter and the Schiaparelli lander took off on a Proton rocket from Roscomos. If the orbiter was placed without difficulty on the planned trajectory around Mars, the lander on the other hand crashed on the surface of the red planet following the malfunction of a sensor.

The second part of the project should see the Rosalind Franklin rover take off for Mars. The orbiter will then serve as a relay for transmissions from the rover which will evolve on the Martian surface. But this phase of the program is still awaiting completion.

When will the launch of ExoMars take place?

The launch of ExoMars was due to take place in September 2022 and the rover was ready to be transferred to Baikonur, the launch site of the Proton rocket, when the conflict in Ukraine broke out. With the suspension of the collaboration between Europe and Russia, the project has been shelved since March 2022 and must now be redesigned without the participation of the Russian agency. While waiting for a next departure, the rover is stored on the Thales Alenia Space site in Italy, as indicated by the European agency on its website.

Today, ESA plans to create a lander for its rover itself. For this it will rely on elements from the Russian lander and counts on the help of NASA which could also provide key equipment such as braking motors or a heating system to keep the rover during Martian nights. where the temperature can drop to -143°C. If the information is confirmed during the year, a Falcon Heavy rocket from SpaceX could then take charge of the launch.

When can the ExoMars rover be launched?

If the project finally materializes, the ExoMars rover will take off accompanied by the future lander aboard a rocket that could be SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. This take-off could take place in 2028 if the program does not show a new delay. The rover will only be released once the lander lands on the Martian surface.

The Rosalind Franklin rover could complete the research carried out by the American Perseverance rover on a mission to Mars for 2 years now. Indeed, the European rover is capable of drilling the ground to a depth of 2 meters. He could thus reach samples protected from harmful radiation which will help us to understand the past of the red planet and who knows, maybe find traces of life.

What is the documentary “ExoMars, the impossible mission” about?

On Wednesday February 8, the National Geographic channel broadcast the documentary “ExoMars, the impossible mission” devoted to the ExoMars space exploration program which aims to send a European rover in search of traces of life on the red planet. This ambitious space program developed for more than 20 years has suffered many setbacks. Changes of partner, crash of the lander, health crisis, technical delays then war in Ukraine, the National Geographic documentary traces the failure of this mission which has still not seen the light of day.

Illustrated with numerous exclusive images and interviews with various players in this great technical and scientific adventure, the documentary reviews the stages that marked the ExoMars mission, the difficulties encountered and the solutions devised to ensure that the project succeeds against all odds.

Why ExoMars turns out to be an impossible mission?

The ExoMars mission has been a cursed mission since its beginnings 20 years ago. Its first big setback dates back to 2011 when NASA withdrew from the project for economic reasons. ESA then turned to Roscosmos, the Russian Space Agency, which agreed to take part in the project in a considerable way. It must provide the launcher, the lander as well as some scientific equipment on the Martian rover.

On October 16, 2016, while everything was going perfectly, the Schiaparelli lander crashed on Martian soil. Then, the launch of the rover which was to take place in 2018 is delayed, and is postponed to 2020 and then to 2022. In February 2022, while all the lights are green for a launch in September, the conflict in Ukraine bursts and deals the coup de grace to the project by interrupting the collaboration between Russia and Europe. Today the program could be reborn from its ashes since in November 2022, the member countries of ESA decided to allocate a new budget to the project in order to allow it to see the light of day. ESA will then go it alone but could benefit from the help of NASA for certain equipment. Without a new twist, the launch could take place in 2028 aboard a SpaceX rocket, as the magazine explains. Science and Future.