Mars

Rosalind Franklin’s Earth twin salutes its fellow rovers to ramp up for ExoMars 2022 mission

06 May 2021

The ground test model (GTM) of the Rosalind Franklin rover for the upcoming ExoMars mission will soon leave �׻�� Alenia Space’s Turin plant for a short trip to the Rover Operational Control Center (ROCC), in Altec. This model will now be put through its paces on the ROCC’s Mars Terrain Simulator to make sure the rover is ready for its critical mission.

Space flight celebrates 60th anniversary and looks to the future

12 Apr 2021

It’s getting to be quite a long time since the first human space flight.

Sixty years ago, on April 12, 1961 – nearly 58 years after the Wright Brothers made the first powered flight – Yuri Gagarin orbited the Earth in the Vostok 3KA-3 capsule, proving that humans could indeed travel into space and return safety.

On Mars, with Perseverance!

19 Feb 2021

After a journey lasting nearly seven months, NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars yesterday, February 18. It landed in the Jezero Crater, a 45-kilometer (28 mile) hole in the ground about 18 degrees north of the Martian equator. This was a huge success for NASA’s Mars 2020 program and all partners involved, including of course �׻��, which built the laser at the heart of SuperCam, the instrument that will look for potential signs of life on the Red Planet.

Exploring space to prepare for Earth’s future

25 Nov 2020

Space exploration isn’t simply a sign of humanity’s hubris or a brazen desire to find new places to live and new sources of wealth. If we take the risk of venturing beyond our terrestrial home, it’s also to learn more about ourselves and our planet, improve life on Earth, and maybe, just maybe, find or create a new future for our children, says Walter Cugno, Vice President Exploration and Science Domain at �׻�� Alenia Space

�׻�� Alenia Space selected by Airbus as partner to the Mars Sample Return Mission

14 Oct 2020

Turin, October 14, 2020 – �׻�� Alenia Space, the joint venture between �׻�� (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has signed an Authorization To Proceed (ATP) with Airbus Defence and Space, prime contractor of the program, to contribute to the Earth Return Orbiter (ERO), the key element of the Mars Sample Return (MSR) Mission, which will be carried out through an international cooperation led by NASA.

From Turin to Cannes, and from Baikonur all the way to Mars!

29 Sep 2020

While the ExoMars* program may seem like science fiction to some of you, it’s about to head for the planet Mars on its second mission. The entire spacecraft, comprising the carrier and descent modules, the landing platform and ESA’s new rover, is scheduled for a 2022 launch. Our valorous vessel is set for a voyage through the Solar System of nearly 500 million kilometers before it can send the landing platform down to Mars.

Rover’s SuperCam instrument including �׻�� laser ready for liftoff to Mars!

23 Jul 2020

On July 30, 2020 at 7:50 am local time, an Atlas V rocket will lift off with NASA’s Perseverance rover from Cape Canaveral in Florida, en route to the Red Planet. This is a decisive moment in NASA’s Mars 2020 mission, designed to study the surface of Mars, look for traces of past life, take soil samples at selected sites and place them in defined locations to be brought back to Earth by the upcoming Mars Sample Return mission, to be carried out jointly with the European Space Agency (ESA).

ExoMars passes critical milestone, bringing us closer to the Red Planet!

05 Sep 2019

The Descent and Carrier modules for the ExoMars 2020 mission have been integrated in Turin. The spacecraft in launch configuration will now be shipped to Cannes for environmental tests, before the launch to Mars to search for traces of life.

Digging deep into the Martian sub-surface to detect signs of life

19 Aug 2019

While ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is sniffing the Martian atmosphere, the ExoMars 2020 Rover will analyse the deepest-ever subsurface soil samples to find any forms of life on the Red Planet.

Why Space Exploration Will Continue to be Our Never-Ending Frontier

10 Jul 2019

A new phase of space exploration is leading to discoveries about our planet and about ourselves