UCL researchers are set to contribute to the development of a new instrument for the Rosalind Franklin rover, replacing components originally made in Russia.
This update is crucial for the Mars mission’s planned launch in 2028. The project, receiving an additional £10.7 million from the UK Space Agency, is led by Aberystwyth University. The team at UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory, who previously designed and built the rover’s panoramic camera system, will be involved in this effort.
Initially built by Airbus in Stevenage for the European Space Agency’s programme, the rover’s launch was initially scheduled for 2022. However, the collaboration with Roscosmos, Russia’s space agency, was terminated due to the illegal invasion of Ukraine.
The new instrument, named Enfys (Welsh for ‘rainbow’), is set to replace the Russian-built Infrared Spectrometer for ExoMars (ISEM). This replacement aims to restore the mission’s full scientific capabilities. Aberystwyth University will lead the work on Enfys, with support from STFC RAL Space, Qioptiq Ltd, and UCL.
Enfys’s primary function will be to identify targets on Mars’s surface for sampling and analysis, thereby advancing the scientific achievements of the Mars rover mission. It will operate in conjunction with the UCL-led PanCam, helping to identify minerals that might contain evidence of life, guiding the rover in drilling for samples for further analysis.
The latest £10.7 million funding increases the UK Space Agency’s total investment in the Rosalind Franklin rover to £377 million.
Professor Andrew Coates, Principal Investigator of PanCam at UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory, expressed his enthusiasm: “It is exciting to enhance the scientific power of PanCam’s wide angle and high resolution visible cameras with improved mineral identification in the infrared thanks to Enfys. Our team are delighted to apply the experience from PanCam to Enfys, for the challenging environment of the Mars surface. We look forward to joint science and operations with Enfys.”
Dr. Matt Gunn from Aberystwyth University, Principal Investigator on Enfys, shared his thoughts on the project: “This is a challenging and complex technical endeavour which has the potential to make a significant contribution to our search for signs of life on Mars. The instrument team, both here in Aberystwyth and in the partnering institutions, are all very much looking forward to receiving measurements from the planet’s surface to expand our knowledge of the Mars environment. We learned a lot during the development and testing of PanCam and it is a privilege to be leading the fantastic team of people who will put that knowledge into practice once again to develop a new instrument for the mission.”
Dr. Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, commented on the rover: “The UK-built Rosalind Franklin rover is a truly world-leading piece of technology at the frontier of space exploration. It is fantastic that experts from the UK can also provide a key instrument for this mission, using UK Space Agency funding. As well as boosting world-class UK space technology to further our understanding of Mars and its potential to host life, this extra funding will strengthen collaboration across the fast-growing UK space sector and economy.”
Orson Sutherland, Mars Exploration Group Leader at the European Space Agency, highlighted Enfys’s significance: “With Enfys on board, the Rosalind Franklin Rover is recovering its full capability to perform the assigned ExoMars scientific mission. The instrument will provide key science data working in full synergy with the rest of the payloads.”
