Europe is preparing for the Mars mail

On the first round trip on the Red Planet, a European Orbiter will bring back Martian samples to Earth. ESA opens the door to the industry for the construction of the spacecraft that will deliver gems, dust and gas from Mars – the key to understanding if life has ever existed at our most global neighbor. close.

This take-home service is called the Earth Return Orbiter and will be ESA's major contribution to the Mars Sample Return Campaign. The ESA Orbiter will be equipped with NASA's capture, containment and return system, which will rely on the ESA-led spacecraft for transit to and from Mars.

Three launches from Earth and one since Mars – the first ever seen from another planet -, two rovers and a standalone capture in orbit on Mars are all part of an ambitious series of missions that ESA is undertaking with The NASA.

The campaign aims to bring back at least 500 grams of samples from the Jezero crater, which once contained a lake and contains an old preserved delta. Rocks in the area preserve information on the diverse geology of Mars.

NASA's Mars 2020 rover, scheduled for launch in July 2020, will scientifically select the best samples to be stored in tubes and place them on the Martian surface for later recovery.

ESA is also studying concepts that allow a small mobile "fetch" to quickly cover the Martian surface to locate and retrieve stored samples.

He would then bring them back into a container the size of a football that would be launched with a NASA Mars Ascent system, a small rocket.

Earth Return Orbiter will capture the canister in orbit and transfer it safely to Earth, a return trip that will take approximately 13 months.

"We will be responsible for finding, capturing and transporting these precious Martian treasures for careful analysis in the state-of-the-art laboratories of our planet," said Sanjay Vijendran, coordinator of the Mars Sample Return Campaign. 39; ESA. "It's an interplanetary treasure hunt!"

Bring Mars back to Earth

Earth Return Orbiter is scheduled to enter the launch pad by 2026 from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. As part of this call, ESA will select a prime contractor for the spacecraft.

"The mission is becoming a reality and we are proud to give European industry the opportunity to rise to the challenge," said Orson Sutherland, head of design for Earth Return Orbiter.

The main challenges are electric propulsion and energy production. "Do not forget to find and navigate the spacecraft to meet a sample in orbit the size of a football over 50 million kilometers from ground control," adds Orson.

The satellite will use the technological legacy of the latest ESA science mission, BepiColombo: both uses electric and removable propulsion modules.

"Europe is ready to do its part for the Mars Sample Return campaign, in close partnership with NASA, and is ready to take up the challenge of placing the satellite on the launch pad in 2026," said Orson. .

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