ExoMars Mission

The European Space Agency and Russia's Federal Space Agency have teamed up on the ExoMars orbiter and rover mission to the Red Planet. See the latest news, images, videos and more on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter and Rover mission here.

Related Topics: Mars, Mars Rover Opportunity, Curiosity Mars Rover Mission 

Latest Updates

An artist's impression of the Rosalind Franklin rover, which is testing its life-detection capabilities using samples of microbes from Lost Hammer Spring.

Europe ending cooperation with Russia on life-hunting Mars rover

By Mike Wall published

It's official: Russia will no longer be a partner on Europe's life-hunting Mars rover mission, which is scheduled to launch in the late 2020s.

The European ExoMars rover may reach Mars in 2028.

Europe's life-hunting Mars rover unlikely to launch before 2028 due to Russia-Ukraine war

By Tereza Pultarova published

The European ExoMars rover is unlikely to launch before 2028 as the European Space Agency is replacing its Russian-built landing platform due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The European/Russian ExoMars rover testing its ability to move in sandy terrain, which proved challenging to many rovers before.

Europe's Mars rover now unlikely to launch before 2026 after Russia's war on Ukraine

By Tereza Pultarova published

The European ExoMars rover is unlikely to launch before 2026, the European Space Agency (ESA) admitted, as it ponders ways forward for the beleaguered mission.

An artist's depiction of the Rosalind Franklin rover, which Europe plans to place on the Martian surface in March 2021.

European Space Agency suspends Mars rover launch on Russian rocket

By Tereza Pultarova published

The ExoMars rover's launch, already delayed from 2018, was scheduled for September 2022.

The ground test model of the European ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover at a Mars yard in Turin, Italy, where it will help operators practice ahead of Rosalind Franklin's planned arrival on the Red Planet in 2023.

Europe's Mars rover will likely miss 2022 launch on Russian rocket due to Ukraine invasion sanctions

By Tereza Pultarova published

Europe's ExoMars rover is unlikely to launch in September as a result of sanctions rolled out by European countries in response to the Russian aggression in Ukraine.

A perspective view of Candor Chasma valley based on images captured by the Mars Express satellite in 2006.

Scientists spot water ice under the 'Grand Canyon' of Mars

By Meghan Bartels published

Water ice may be lurking just a few feet below the Martian surface at one of the Red Planet's most dramatic sites.

An artist's depiction of the European-Russian Trace Gas Orbiter circling Mars.

Strange gas signature on Mars may help explain methane mystery

By Meghan Bartels published

A Mars orbiter run by the European Space Agency (ESA) has sniffed out two never-before-seen chemical signatures in the Red Planet's atmosphere.

This illustration provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in January 2020 shows the 2019 Novel Coronavirus.

Coronavirus outbreak shakes the space industry: Here are the biggest effects so far

By Mike Wall published

The effects of the novel-coronavirus outbreak are extending into the final frontier.

ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter at Mars

ExoMars: Searching for life on Mars

By Elizabeth Howell published

Has there ever been life on Mars?

An artist's depiction of the European Space Agency's ExoMars rover Rosalind Franklin. ESA and Roscosmos have delayed its launch from 2020 to 2022 due to parachute problems.

Europe's ExoMars rover launch delayed to 2022 due to parachute problems

By Megan Gannon published

European and Russian space leaders have decided to postpone the launch of the ExoMars rover until 2022 due to issues with its parachutes and electronic equipment.

A closeup view of a parachute bag containing one of the two test parachutes of the ExoMars 2020 mission using a NASA test rig powered by compressed air. The image shows the new configuration of the parachute bag, which releases the parachute from the center outward, with the bag opening in a petal-like fashion.

Parachute problems could delay Europe's ExoMars rover launch to 2022: Report

By Elizabeth Howell published

Preparations to launch the ExoMars rover to the Red Planet this summer are in a crunch as critical parachute tests have again been delayed.

Artist's impression of a primitive ocean on Mars, which some researchers suggested harbored more water than the Arctic Ocean on Earth. (Most of that water was later lost to space.)

Mars Loses Its Water Even Faster Than Anyone Thought

By Charles Q. Choi published

Why is Mars dry? Water might escape the atmosphere more effectively than previously thought, potentially helping to explain how the Red Planet lost its vast oceans.

Diagram showing the ExoMars 2020 parachute deployment sequence.

European-Russian ExoMars Rover Team in 'Race Against the Clock' to Fix Parachutes for 2020 Launch

By Mike Wall published

The European-Russian ExoMars 2020 mission will have to find some parachute fixes fast if it wants to be ready for launch next summer.

A 3D rendition of a crater at Oxia Planum on Mars. The European Space Agency's ExoMars 2020 rover may land here in 2021.

Soar Over the Likely Mars Landing Site of Europe's ExoMars Rover in This 3D Animation

By Elizabeth Howell published

Feel like going for a spin around Mars? A new video shows a 3D view of where the European-Russian ExoMars rover will land, in a region that was likely filled with water billions of years ago.

Sand dunes ripple near Mars' north pole in this image captured by the European/Russian Trace Gas Orbiter. The photo was taken on May 25, 2019, and released on Sept. 16.

Sand Dunes Snake Near Mars' North Pole (Photo)

By Mike Wall published

Rippling, dark-flecked sand dunes near Mars' north pole look like melting chocolate-chip ice cream in an image captured by the European-Russian Trace Gas Orbiter.

A test image captured by the ExoMars rover's panoramic camera.

Europe's Mars Rover Rosalind Franklin Begins Big Tests for Red Planet

By Elizabeth Howell published

Europe hopes a robot called Rosalind Franklin will become its first rover on Mars, but the spacecraft has some big tests to pass before it launches next year.

Artist's illustration of NASA's planned Mars Ascent Vehicle launching samples off the surface of the Red Planet.

Bringing Pieces of Mars to Earth in 2031: How NASA and Europe Plan to Do It

By Mike Wall published

The complex, ambitious plan involves two rovers, a lander, an orbiter and an unprecedented launch off the Martian surface.

The ExoMars mission's Trace Gas Orbiter analyzed the Martian atmosphere, finding a surprising lack of traces of methane.

What's Eating Mars' Methane? ExoMars Results Deepen Mystery

By Megan Gannon published

The first findings from the ExoMars orbiter show no signs of methane in Mars' atmosphere.

Europe's Mars Express orbiter captured this image of a half-lit Red Planet in December 2012.

There Is Definitely Methane on Mars, Scientists Say. But Is It a Sign of Life?

By Mike Wall published

We may be one step closer to cracking the Mars methane mystery.

Artist's illustration of Europe's ExoMars rover "Rosalind Franklin" (foreground) and Russia's stationary surface science platform “Kazachok” (background) on the surface of Mars.

Meet 'Kazachok': Landing Platform for ExoMars Rover Gets a Name

By Mike Wall published

The Russian-built landing platform for the ExoMars rover now has a name: 'Kazachok.'