Life on Mars? - ExoMars Programme

How is the UK helping the European Space Agency find life on Mars?

The ExoMars mission asks one of humanity's most compelling questions: has life ever existed beyond Earth? To help answer it, the European Space Agency created the ExoMars programme: two missions working together to study Mars from orbit and, in the near future, from the planet's surface. The Trace Gas Orbiter is already circling Mars, studying the gases in its atmosphere, while the Rosalind Franklin rover will investigate the planet's surface.

These missions will help answer important questions about Mars: what the planet is made of, how its environment has changed over time, and whether it may once have supported life, or perhaps still does. Data from the mission will also support wider studies of Martian chemistry and environmental science to help us understand whether humans could once day go to Mars.

Trace Gas Orbiter

The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) started orbiting Mars in 2016 and began science operations in 2018. It has relayed more data than all other Mars orbiters combined, including 13 million square kilometres of multispectral imagery. It continues to study the Martian atmosphere today, using four scientific instruments to detect and analyse trace gases. These measurements are helping scientists fill gaps in our knowledge of Mars and support the planning of future missions.

The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) focuses on observing Mars from its orbit, looking for trace gases. It was especially on the lookout for Methane, which was detected by ESA's Mars Express mission in 2003. Methane is interesting because, on Earth, it can be linked to both biological and geological processes. On Mars, finding and understanding methane could help scientists work out whether the planet is still geologically active, or whether it has ever had conditions associated with life. Interestingly, TGO hasn't recorded any methane yet, but it has made other important discoveries during its investigation.

For example, TGO helped detect hydrogen chloride in Mars' atmosphere - a finding that gives scientists new clues about the planet's chemistry and water cycle. Discoveries like this matter because they help us understand how Mars changed over time, how challenging its surface may be for robots and humans, and what future missions will need to prepare for.

TGO also discovered water-ice at low latitudes. That matters because water is one of the most useful resources for future explorers: it could be turned into oxygen to breathe, fuel for journeys, and drinking water for thirsty astronauts. Finding accessible water-ice could therefore make future missions to Mars more practical.

Crucially, TGO's CASSIS camera produces high-resolution imagery of the whole planet, allowing us to catch breath-taking Martian views and help prepare for future landings on Mars, including the Rosalind Franklin Rover mission. High-resolution imaging enables safer landing and better mission planning.

Find out more about the Trace Gas Orbiter

Rosalind Franklin Rover

Whereas TGO is looking at the Martian atmosphere, the Rosalind Franklin Rover mission will search Mars' surface for evidence of environments that may once have supported life, and may even still do so today.

As the first European rover to traverse the surface of Mars, the Rosalind Franklin Rover will have the unique feature of being able to drill down to two meters into the Martian surface to obtain samples. Samples taken from below the surface are better protected from the harsh radiation that affects the surface soil. The on-board laboratory will determine the sample's mineral and chemical content and composition to search for evidence of past or present life.

The mission will land in the Oxia Planum region of Mars, an area with ancient, clay-rich rocks dating back around 3.9 billion years. 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.

How is the UK involved?

The UK plays a major role in both parts of ExoMars, from funding and engineering to research and mission operations. That means the programme is not only a European mission to Mars, but also shows us how UK expertise are helping to answer a question that captures imaginations around the world.

The UK has invested around £490 million over the past 20 years, supporting over 200 high-skilled jobs in the UK, a further 31 UK scientists as named mission instrument team members, and over 100 UK scientists involved in the programme more broadly.

This support helps fund the science, engineering and technology that make the mission possible, from building the missions and their instruments to investigating the data and delivering world-class scientific excellence.

The Rosalind Franklin rover is being built by Airbus Defence and Space, at the company's UK facility in Stevenage, UK.

The rover is named after Rosalind Franklin, the UK scientist 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 Rosalind Franklin rover will house a number of scientific instruments that each have a specific job. Together, they will help the rover choose which rocks to study, investigate their chemistry, and build a detailed picture of the Martian environment.

There is considerable UK involvement from a number of academic institutions for the instruments on the Rosalind Franklin Rover:

PanCam

The panoramic camera system, also known as PanCam, is UK-led. Scientists from University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) are working with the University of Aberystwyth, Birkbeck College, and the University of Leicester. PanCam will take detailed images of the surface, helping scientists build 3D maps that will help them choose where to drill and how to get there.

Raman Laser Spectrometer

The University of Leicester, Bradford University, and the Science and Technology Facilities Council's Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (STFC RAL) are key partners in the development of the Raman Laser Spectrometer. This instrument can identify minerals and chemical compounds in Martian samples, including some biomarkers - chemicals that may indicate past or present life.

Enfys

Aberystwyth University in Wales, together with MSSL at UCL, STFC RAL, and Qioptiq Ltd in St Asaph, Denbighshire, is developing the infrared spectrometer for the rover. The instrument is called Enfys, meaning 'Rainbow' in Welsh. Enfys will further analyse what materials are in the rocks, which will help decide where the rover should go to drill for samples.

Latest Update

In early 2026, NASA approved the Rosalind Franklin Support and Augmentation project, known as ROSA, which will provide hardware and services for the mission. NASA also selected SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket to launch the rover from Kennedy Space Center.

The launch is currently due for late 2028, subsequently landing on Mars in 2030.

Follow the latest ExoMars news from ESA