European Space Agency (ESA) said the "Rosalind Franklin" Mars rover would likely launch to the red planet in September this year after a two-year delay.
The rover is being constructed in conjunction with the Russian space agency Roscosmos, also deploying the Kazachok landing platform to Mars as part of the ExoMars mission.
It's worth noting that the launch was originally scheduled for July or August 2020 but was postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak. After two years of waiting, the rover will be launched this September, Daily Mail reported. It will arrive on Mars in June 2023.
š“ Great news to start the New Year: @ESA_ExoMars teams are confident for a September launch to the Red Planet. And Rosalind Franklin rover's Earth-based twin has a name: Amalia! Watch her first steps off the lander platform onto a Mars-like terrain. https://t.co/eXV5KgdDTq pic.twitter.com/Nt9KYXdsfJ
— ESA_ExoMars (@ESA_ExoMars) January 18, 2022
Rosalind Franklin Mars Rover Ready For September Launch
ExoMars rover project head Pietro Baglioni said in a statement that the rover is ready after multiple testing. He expressed confidence that the parachutes would be ready in time for the September launch date, citing the recent drop test success.
Rosalind Franklin will exit the landing platform and drive on Mars when it arrives at Mars and undergoes a 'nerve-wracking' drop to the surface. If all goes according to plan, ESA will become just the fourth agency after the Soviet Union, NASA, and China to operate a vehicle on another planet.
During recent testing in a Mars terrain simulator in Turin, the Rosalind Franklin rover's twin successfully departed the platform in preparation for this moment.
Artist's impression of the Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover. This image shows a front view of the rover with the drill in a vertical position.
Artist’s impression of the Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover. This image shows a front view of the rover with the drill in a vertical position.
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While driving takes around 15 minutes during these exercises. The entire procedure will take a few Martian days due to time delays. ExoMars head of robotics Andrea Merlo of Thales Alenia Space stated the egress is a lengthy and critical operation. For added safety, according to Merlo, they should run it in slow motion.
There are two exit ramps on the landing platform: one in the front and one in the back. Rosalind is built to handle high inclines on the ramps, but it is up to Earth's ground control to decide the safest route.
The rover will be busy for nearly a week after landing, unfolding its wheels and deploying the mast, among other things. When the six wheels touch the Martian soil, the tale for this rover on Mars will begin.
Rosalind Franklin Meets Twin Rover, Amalia
According to Republic World, ExoMars developers are also putting a Rosalind Franklin twin rover dubbed Amalia through its paces in a simulated environment on Mars.
Amalia is being used to model scenarios that Rosalind Franklin would face on Mars, with the engineers devising solutions to such issues.
ExoMars' head of robotics, Andrea Merlo, stated that Amalia would be used for high-risk missions like driving over martian slopes looking for the optimum path for science operations to drilling and examining rocks.
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