8^th July 2018

A Rover designed by Airbus will be sent on a

mission to Mars to collect samples.

The samples to be collected are those left by

NASA’s Mars 2020. Rover will transfer them to an

ascent vehicle and will put them into orbit about

the planet, where they will then be brought back to

Earth by another spacecraft.

Science Minister Sam Gyimah said:

“This remarkable new project, which will see

samples brought back from Mars to Earth for the

first time ever, demonstrates Britain’s world-

leading scientific and engineering innovation.

“Winning this contract builds on the UK’s world-

renowned expertise in space and robotics which

the government is supporting through the UK

Space Agency and the major investments in our

modern Industrial Strategy.

“One rover bound for Mars in 2020 is already

under construction by Airbus in Stevenage and

the knowledge and expertise honed there will now

be applied to designing this new mission, which

aims to safely deliver – for the first time – material

to Earth from another planet.”

The UK is a founding member of ESA. UK’s

membership will continue after Brexit.

British ESA astronaut Tim Peake said:

“This is an exciting new era where businesses and

space agencies are working closer than ever

before on ambitious missions to expand our

knowledge of the Solar System and deliver

benefits to people’s lives. The close collaboration

between the UK and ESA will place Britain at the

forefront of innovative missions to explore the

Moon, Mars and beyond.”

We at Future-Rockets look forward to the

success of this mission.