NASA has officially greenlit and commenced the implementation phase of the Rosalind Franklin Support and Augmentation (ROSA) project on April 16, 2026. This initiative provides crucial support for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) ExoMars Rosalind Franklin mission to Mars. With this announcement, NASA also confirmed that the Rosalind Franklin rover’s launch will be conducted using a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in late 2028, originating from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission is spearheaded by ESA, which will supply the rover, transport module, and landing platform. NASA’s contribution, in addition to the launch service, will include thrusters for the braking phase during descent to Mars and radioisotope heater units, essential for maintaining the rover’s systems in the frigid Martian temperatures.
The Rosalind Franklin rover is designed with a singular scientific objective: to search for evidence of past or present life beneath the Martian surface. It will be the first Mars rover capable of drilling into the soil up to two meters deep, accessing areas better shielded from radiation. The chosen landing site is Oxia Planum, an area rich in clays that may have preserved organic molecules.
The approval of the ROSA project comes just two weeks after the U.S. government’s budget proposal for NASA for fiscal year 2027. This budget, set at $18.8 billion, represents a 23% reduction compared to the approved budget for 2026. These cuts were expected to disproportionately affect science initiatives, with Rosalind Franklin being among the missions initially slated for non-funding, similar to the fiscal year 2026 budget that was not approved by Congress.
NASA’s Contribution to ExoMars
The Rosalind Franklin mission is part of the ExoMars program, which was initially developed in collaboration with Russia. Following the cessation of cooperation with Roscosmos in 2022, ESA had to reorganize the project, seeking new partners to replace critical components such as the launcher and certain landing systems.
NASA’s role was formalized in 2024 with the signing of an agreement between the two agencies, leading to the development of the ROSA project. In the same year, the project successfully passed key technical reviews, including the Preliminary Design Review, confirming the robustness of the adopted solutions.
However, budget cuts between 2025 and 2026 led not only to further delays but also to significant uncertainty regarding the mission’s future. This future now appears somewhat more secure with NASA’s latest announcement.
A Rover Designed to Search for Life on Mars
The Rosalind Franklin rover distinguishes itself from currently active Mars rovers by its capability to study the subsurface. While missions like Curiosity and Perseverance primarily focus on the surface, the European rover will be able to analyze samples collected from depths where potential biological traces may be better preserved.
Among its key instruments is the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA), enhanced by NASA’s contributions, featuring an advanced mass spectrometer. This instrument will analyze samples to identify organic molecules, which are fundamental to understanding whether Mars ever hosted life.
