Airbus Defence and Space has won the next phase of the study contract (Advanced B2) from the European Space Agency (ESA) for the advanced Sample Fetch Rover which will be used to collect samples from the surface of Mars. Mars Sample Return is a joint NASA and ESA campaign to return samples from the Red Planet. NASA’s 2020 Mars rover mission Perseverance will collect Martian soils and rock samples and leave them on the surface in small metal tubes. In 2026 NASA will launch an ESA rover to Mars to collect these tubes. Landing in 2028, the rover will then travel an average of 200 metres a day, over a period of six months to find and pick up the samples. It will collect up to 36 tubes, carry them back to the lander and place them in a Mars Ascent Vehicle which will launch them into orbit around Mars. Another spacecraft developed by ESA (with a Nasa payload), the Earth Return Orbiter (ERO), will collect the samples from Martian orbit and return them to Earth. Airbus in Stevenage is leading the Sample Fetch Rover project, following the completion of the ESA ExoMars rover which is now due to launch in the summer of 2022. The initial phase A and subsequent B1 studies for the Sample Fetch Rover have been underway at Airbus in Stevenage since July 2018. Sophisticated algorithms for spotting the sample tubes on the Martian surface have already been developed by the industrial team led by Airbus, and a dedicated robotic arm with a grasping unit to pick up the tubes is being designed with a pool of European industries. The accommodation on the NASA lander and the MSR surface mission profile impose new requirements to the SFR locomotion system, which will be equipped with four wheels, larger than the six flexible wheels used on the ExoMars Rover. Type, size and number of wheels has been chosen to better cope with the selected landing site terrain and with the speed and performance required to reach the depot location and return the samples in due time to the lander. Unlike the ExoMars rover Rosalind Franklin, which has six wheels, the Sample Fetch Rover will only have four wheels. This is in order to save mass and complexity – but it also presents challenges as the rover has to move more quickly than ExoMars and yet not get stuck on its journey across the surface. The Sample Fetch Rover is required to travel more than 15km across the Red Planet searching and collect up to 36 of the 43 sample tubes left by the Perseverance rover. The samples are due to land back on Earth in 2031. The latest approval for the Mars Sample Return campaign was given by ESA at its Ministerial meeting in November 2019.
Embraer has begun accepting applications for its Social Tech Careers programme, a free technology training initiative designed for women and…
A renaming ceremony was held at Fincantieri’s Muggiano shipyard on Wednesday (Jan. 29) for two Multipurpose Combat Ships / Pattugliatore…
Switzerland-based JEKTA, the manufacturer of the zero-emissions PHA-ZE 100 amphibious aircraft, has formed two new strategic partnerships to enhance its…
The Hungarian Ministry of Defence and EDGE, a prominent advanced technology and defence group, have signed a letter of intent…
Boom Supersonic has announced the successful first supersonic flight of the company's XB-1 demonstrator aircraft at Mojave Air & Space…
BlackSky Technology Inc. has signed a seven-year contract worth over $100 million with a long-term strategic partner in the international…
Malaysia will equip one of its Lekiu-class frigates with the Naval Strike Missile (NSM), an anti-ship surface-to-surface missile developed by…
The U.S. Army has awarded L3Harris Technologies full-rate Manpack and Leader radio production orders under the Handheld, Manpack & Small…
L3Harris recently attached an advanced multirole electronic warfare (EW) capability to a T7 robot and demonstrating it at Vanguard 2024,…
Airbus Helicopters secured 455 gross orders (450 net) in 2024, demonstrating robust market growth with notable demand for its light,…
Piaggio Aerospace, encompassing Piaggio Aero Industries and Piaggio Aviation, has signed a preliminary contract to transfer its business complexes to…
Calian Group Ltd. has announced the appointment of Major-General (Ret.) Roch Pelletier to the newly established position of Regional Vice…
Airnguru, a provider of airline fare management and pricing optimisation solutions, has announced significant financial progress and growth milestones. The…
AMMROC, a UAE-based provider of military maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with…
The Israel Ministry of Defense (IMOD has signed a contract worth about $80 million with Elbit Systems for the development…
As part of the Italy-Saudi Arabia institutional round table, ELT Group has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with SAMI Advanced…
Leonardo, Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment (MISA), and General Authority for Military Industries (GAMI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding…
Airbus delivered 766 commercial aircraft to 86 customers around the world in 2024. The commercial aircraft business registered 878 gross…
The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has concluded the Service Life Extension Programme (SLEP) for its fleet of Sukhoi Su-30MKM…
Kongsberg Maritime has secured a contract to deliver propulsion and manoeuvring systems for two new KCR-70 Fast Attack Craft (FAC)…
Representatives from KNDS Deutschland, KNDS France, Rheinmetall Landsysteme, and Thales gathered in Paris to formalise the creation of the "MGCS…
ST Engineering's Commercial Aerospace business has signed a five-year CFM LEAP engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) contract with new…
Embraer is working with Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) to expand the use of renewable energy at its U.S.…
The use of the combat-proven Rafael Spyder air defence system in the ongoing war in Israel has created interest in…
The delivery of Elbit Systems PULS artillery systems and the company's Hermes -900 UAV to Serbia is expected to begin…
Indonesian private defence firm PT Sentra Surya Ekajaya (PT SSE) has introduced a new version of its P2 Tiger 4×4…
Schiebel has been awarded a new multi-year contract by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) to provide services using the…
BlackSky Technology Inc. has shipped its first Gen-3 satellite to launch provider Rocket Lab. The satellite is scheduled to be…
SITA and Cathay Pacific have entered a new agreement aimed at significantly boosting network bandwidth at Cathay Pacific’s airports. The…
Lockheed Martin has been awarded a $270 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to integrate next-generation infrared defensive sensors…
Headquartered in Singapore with reporters spread across all major regions, GBP Aerospace & Defence is a leading media house that publishes three publications that serve the aerospace and defence sector - Asian Defence Technology, Asian Airlines & Aerospace and Daily News. Known industry-wide for quality journalism, GBP Aerospace & Defence is present at more international tradeshows and exhibitions than any other competing publication in the region.
For over three decades, our award-winning team of reporters has been producing top-notch content to help readers stay abreast of the latest developements in the field of commercial aviation, MRO, defence, and Space.
Copyright 2024. GBP. All Rights Reserved.
Home Defence & Security Space Commercial Aviation Maintence Repair & Overhaul Daily News Events About Us
2025 GBP all rights reserved.