NASA Delivers First Braking Engines for ESA Mars Rover, Securing 2028 Launch Path
Updated
Updated · Tech Times · Jun 28
NASA Delivers First Braking Engines for ESA Mars Rover, Securing 2028 Launch Path
1 articles · Updated · Tech Times · Jun 28
Summary
NASA has handed ESA the first batch of throttleable braking engines for the Rosalind Franklin rover mission, giving the long-delayed ExoMars project its clearest hardware sign yet that a late-2028 launch remains achievable.
Those engines are critical to the new European landing system: after parachutes slow entry from about 13,000 mph, they must cut descent speed from 45 meters per second to under 3 meters per second just before touchdown.
The delivery follows ESA’s 2022 break with Roscosmos after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which left the rover without its original Proton rocket, Kazachok lander and Russian heater units; ESA replaced that architecture with a €522 million rebuild and a Falcon Heavy launch deal with NASA.
One major dependency remains unresolved: NASA’s radioisotope heater units, still on a “very good path” according to ESA, are needed to keep the rover alive through roughly minus-100 Fahrenheit Martian nights.
Rosalind Franklin is designed to drill 2 meters below the surface at Oxia Planum, a depth ESA sees as essential for finding preserved organic molecules that surface radiation would have destroyed.
With its Mars dream reliant on US nuclear tech, does Europe have a backup plan for the 2028 launch?
As US-Russia space trust erodes, what new risks now threaten Europe's landmark mission to Mars?
Could the rover's novel nuclear fuel be the key to unlocking permanent human settlements on the Moon?
ExoMars Rosalind Franklin: The $522 Million, Multi-National Mission to Launch Europe’s Deep-Drilling Mars Rover in 2028
Overview
After the ExoMars 2022 mission was cancelled due to the war in Ukraine, which led Russia to withdraw its launch vehicle and landing platform, Europe quickly began replacing the lost Russian-built components. In April 2024, a major contract was awarded to Thales Alenia Space for a new landing platform. At the same time, NASA formalized its expanded role in the mission, committing to supply three key hardware elements. This renewed international collaboration has kept the Rosalind Franklin mission on track, demonstrating resilience and strong partnership between Europe and the United States as they prepare for a 2028 launch to Mars.