The mission structure features a European rover deployed from a carrier by a dedicated landing system, with JPL contributing landing technology like retro-rockets and parachutes; the lander and rover are built through a wide European collaboration.

The mission, long delayed since its late-2000s planning, is now positioned to depart in late 2028 and reach Mars by 2030, ending a 25-year saga of partnerships, delays, and shifts.

The project illustrates that institutional factors—launch providers, funding, and international relations—are often the main challenges behind such missions, not just engineering.

Over the years the mission has weathered multiple launch vehicle changes and disruptions, including budget cuts, a pandemic, and geopolitical shifts such as Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine ending the Proton option.

The plan envisions a late-2028 launch and a 2030 arrival, with design choices such as six-wheel steering and wheel-walking mobility to navigate robustly while avoiding the dust storm season during landing.

Europe’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover has secured a launch contract with SpaceX to ride a Falcon Heavy, aiming for a late-2028 liftoff from Kennedy Space Center and a Mars arrival around 2030.

Key remaining hurdles include finalizing integration with the new landing system, validating parachute reliability, and securing ongoing funding through future US budget cycles.

The rover is designed to drill up to two meters into the Martian crust to analyze soils for organic molecules, seeking signs of past life while shielding samples from radiation.

Falcon Heavy is chosen for its readiness and ESA’s experience with SpaceX, while Europe’s own heavy-lift options like Ariane 6 face capacity and cadence constraints.

The mission is named Rosalind Franklin to honor the scientist and reflect the goal of probing ancient Martian life signatures.

Its history spans nearly a quarter-century, evolving from the Aurora/ExoMars plan to a NASA-ESA collaboration after NASA pulled out in 2012 and again after Russia’s invasion in 2022.

NASA’s ROSA role includes providing the launch vehicle, braking engines, and heaters, while ESA supplies the rover and carrier systems, with Airbus, OHB, Thales Alenia Space, and others contributing major components.