ExoMars 2028 Rosalind Franklin rover
ExoMars 2028 is a second mission of two-part European Space Agency astrobiology project to search for evidence of life on Mars. The primary objective is to land the rover at a site with high potential for finding well-preserved organic material, particularly from the very early history of the planet. The rover is expected to travel several kilometers during its mission.
The European rover will be the first mission to combine the capability to move across the surface and to study Mars at depth. It will collect samples with a drill down to a depth of 2 m and analyze them with next-generation instruments in an onboard laboratory. Underground samples are more likely to include biomarkers, since the tenuous martian atmosphere offers little protection from radiation and photochemistry at the surface.
Related launches
| No. | Mission | Date | Rocket | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | NROL-97 | 02 Oct 2026 | Falcon Heavy | Go |
| 02 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer A | 05 Oct 2026 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Go |
| 03 | Starlink Group 15-25 | 10 Oct 2026 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Go |
| 04 | Dragon CRS-2 SpX-35 | 13 Oct 2026 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | TBD |
| 05 | Bandwagon 5 (Dedicated Mid-Inclination Rideshare) | 31 Oct 2026 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | TBD |
| 06 | Crew-17 | 31 Dec 2028 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | TBD |
| 07 | Al Yah 5 | 31 Dec 2028 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | TBD |
| 08 | Transporter 18 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare) | 01 Oct 2026 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Success |
| 09 | Crew-13 | 01 Oct 2026 | Falcon 9 Block 5 | Success |
| 10 | Starlink Group 31-1 (Starship Flight 14) | 28 Sept 2026 | Starship V3 | Success |
