ExoMars 2028 Rosalind Franklin Rover

1. October 2028 · date to be confirmed

   ExoMars 2028 Rosalind Franklin Rover

   To Be Determined

The source has not linked another mission stage.

Assigned hardware

Mission details

• planned

  Mission description

  ESA’s Rosalind Franklin rover is planned for a 2028 Falcon Heavy launch. It will investigate Mars with cameras, spectroscopy and subsurface sampling using a drill reaching up to two metres. Earth trials of the Charlie prototype rehearse navigation and science operations; prototype results are not a guarantee of Mars performance.

  Evidence

  Current upcoming mission and independently checked primary-source purpose; operational launch date/status unchanged. Historical test outcomes remain dated.

  • ExoMars factsheet ↗
  • European rover trains for Mars in the desert ↗

  Verified 2026-11-02

Reporting

Charlie’s desert trial rehearsed the decisions Rosalind Franklin will make on Mars

A prototype drove in Spain while scientists planned from Turin. The rehearsal tested rover navigation and the daily choice of where to look, before Rosalind Franklin’s planned 2028 launch.