Rosalind Franklin (rover)

Rosalind Franklin

ExoMars rover design, 2010
Mission type	Mars rover
Operator	ESA
Website	www.esa.int/...ExoMars
Mission duration	≥ 7 months[1]
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer	Astrium · Airbus
Launch mass	310 kg (680 lb)
Power	1200 W·h/d solar array, 1142 W·h Lithium-ion battery[2]
Start of mission
Launch date	2028[3]
Rocket	U.S Commercial Vehicle.
Mars rover
Landing date	NET 2029
Landing site	Oxia Planum
ExoMars programme ← Trace Gas Orbiter and Schiaparelli lander

Rosalind Franklin,^[4] previously known as the ExoMars rover, is a planned robotic Mars rover, part of the international ExoMars programme led by the European Space Agency (ESA). The rover is named after Rosalind Franklin, a British chemist and DNA research pioneer.

The mission was scheduled to launch in July 2020 in cooperation with the Russian Roscosmos,^[5][6] and was later postponed to 2022.^[7] The Russian invasion of Ukraine has caused a delay of the programme, as the member states of the ESA voted to suspend the joint mission with Russia.^[8] in July 2022, ESA terminated its cooperation on the project with Russia.^[9] As of May 2022^[update], the launch of the rover was not expected to occur before 2028 due to the need for a new non-Russian landing platform.^[10][11] In 2024, the mission received additional funding to restart and complete the mission. The award went to Thales Alenia Space and launch was scheduled for 2028.^[12] ESA also signed an agreement with NASA to procure a US launch vehicle for the mission.^[3]