A UK-backed Mars rover is set to drill up to two metres beneath the planet’s surface when it arrives on Mars in 2030, in a mission aimed at determining whether the Red Planet once supported life.
The Rosalind Franklin rover is scheduled to launch in late 2028 as part of the European Space Agency’s ExoMars programme, according to an updated case study by the UK Space Agency.
The rover will land in Oxia Planum, a region containing ancient, clay-rich rocks believed to be about 3.9 billion years old.
The UK Space Agency said the area was considered a promising location because clay minerals generally form in the presence of water.
“Clay minerals usually form in the presence of water, so this landing site gives scientists a promising place to look for evidence that Mars may once have had conditions suitable for life,” the agency said.
Unlike previous Mars missions focused mainly on surface exploration, the Rosalind Franklin rover will be capable of drilling up to two metres below the surface to collect samples.
The agency said material taken from beneath the surface would be better protected from the harsh radiation affecting Martian soil.
The samples will be examined by an onboard laboratory for their mineral and chemical composition, including possible evidence of past or present life.
The rover is named after British scientist Rosalind Franklin, whose work was central to understanding the structure of DNA.
“The name connects the mission’s search for life on Mars with a scientist whose discoveries transformed our understanding of life on Earth,” the agency said.
The UK has invested about £490m in the ExoMars programme over the past two decades, supporting more than 200 high-skilled jobs, according to the UK Space Agency.
The rover is being built by Airbus Defence and Space at its facility in Stevenage, while UK institutions are involved in developing several of its scientific instruments.
The PanCam panoramic camera system, led by University College London’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory, will capture detailed images of the Martian surface and help scientists create 3D maps to identify suitable drilling locations.
Scientists from the University of Leicester, University of Bradford and the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Rutherford Appleton Laboratory are also involved in developing the Raman Laser Spectrometer.
The instrument will analyse minerals and chemical compounds in Martian samples, including some biomarkers that could indicate past or present life.
The UK Space Agency said another instrument, Enfys, being developed by Aberystwyth University and other partners, would analyse materials in rocks and assist in selecting locations for drilling.
The Rosalind Franklin rover will work alongside the Trace Gas Orbiter, which has been studying Mars’ atmosphere since entering orbit in 2016.
The orbiter searches for trace gases, including methane, which can be produced by biological and geological processes on Earth.
However, the UK Space Agency said the orbiter had not detected methane on Mars so far.
It has instead helped scientists detect hydrogen chloride in the Martian atmosphere and discover water ice at low latitudes.
The agency said the discovery could be important for future human missions because water ice could potentially provide drinking water, oxygen and fuel.
NASA approved the Rosalind Franklin Support and Augmentation project, known as ROSA, in early 2026 to provide hardware and services for the mission.
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy has been selected to launch the rover from the Kennedy Space Centre in the United States.
The UK Space Agency said the launch was currently scheduled for late 2028, with the rover expected to land on Mars in 2030.
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