Overview
- NASA selected SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy to fly ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A no earlier than late 2028 after approving its ROSA implementation plan.
- Under the ROSA effort, NASA will provide the lander’s braking engines, radioisotope heater units to keep the rover warm, a mass‑spectrometer contribution for the MOMA instrument, and the launch service.
- ESA remains responsible for the rover, cruise stage, and lander integration, with Airbus building the rover and lander structure, OHB supplying the cruise stage, and Thales Alenia Space leading final assembly.
- The rover’s signature tool is a two‑meter drill that will pull samples shielded from surface radiation, targeting Oxia Planum to search for preserved organic molecules linked to past microbial life.
- Hitting the 2028 window hinges on validating the parachutes and new landing system and holding to budget, since a slip would push the next launch chance to 2030.