Europe plans to launch advanced Mars lander in 2035

artist's illustration of a six-wheeled silver rover on the surface of mars — Artist's illustration of Europe's ExoMars rover, named Rosalind Franklin, on the surface of the Red Planet. Rosalind Franklin is scheduled to launch in 2028. Europe is working on the technologies required to launch a followup, high-precision landing by 2035. (Image credit: ESA/ATG medialab)

The European Space Agency (ESA) wants to develop key technologies for a Mars surface lander by the mid-2030s.

ESA is already planning to send the much-delayed, life-hunting Rosalind Franklin rover to Mars in the launch window opening in 2028. But the agency is already setting its sights on a more ambitious followup and wants to get started acquiring the necessary technologies and capabilities.

On Dec. 17, the agency issued a call for proposals titled "Advanced Entry, Descent, and Landing Capability on Mars," as first reported by European Spaceflight. It calls for Europe to "begin to advance developments of guided entry landers and their associated technologies, avoiding technological dead ends as the capability progresses." The mission aims for a high-precision landing, but no further details were made available.

The agency wants to get started early so as to "obtain enough elements on technology readiness, development timeline and budget estimates" to increase the mission’s chances of continuing after a key ESA ministerial meeting scheduled to take place in Bremen, Germany, in November.

"A second reason for timeliness is the fact that 2035 is the most favorable launch date in the next decade," the document states.