NASA has formally confirmed that it will continue supporting Europe’s Rosalind Franklin rover mission, now scheduled for launch in 2028, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced on Wednesday. The confirmation arrives after years of postponements and growing uncertainty surrounding the programme.
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Designed to be the first rover on Mars capable of drilling up to two metres beneath the planet’s surface, the mission seeks to investigate whether life may once have existed on the Red Planet. However, its progress has depended heavily on hardware and technology supplied by NASA, which has faced significant proposed budget reductions under the administration of President Donald Trump since his return to the White House in January.
ESA director general Josef Aschbacher revealed that he had received written assurance from NASA confirming its planned contributions. Speaking at the agency’s ministerial council meeting in Bremen, Germany, he welcomed the development, adding that the US space agency will provide a launcher, a radioisotope heater unit and a braking engine for the rover. While the braking system had already been secured, confirmation of the remaining components offers considerable reassurance to European mission planners.
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Originally expected to launch in 2020, the project encountered numerous delays. In 2022, the ESA halted cooperation with Russia — previously a central mission partner — following the invasion of Ukraine, prompting the agency to seek new technical and logistical backing from the United States. NASA will also supply an instrument intended to help detect potential biological traces within Martian samples. Named in honour of pioneering British scientist Rosalind Franklin, the rover is expected to land on Mars in 2030, where it will begin its scientific exploration.
