There will also be a piece of Italy on Mars. Leonardo signed a contract with Airbus to start an advanced stage of study on two robotic arms who will be on board the rover and lander of “Mars sample return”, a campaign of three missions that NASA is carrying out in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA).
The ultimate goal is bring samples of the red planet to earth by 2031. The first mission – “Mars2020”, from NASA – was launched last July and will feature the Perseverance rover, which will collect Martian soil samples and seal them in containers, and then leave them in strategic positions waiting for the next mission.
in 2026In fact, three new elements will arrive on Mars: the NASA lander, the ESA "Sample Fetch Rover" and the "Mars Ascent Vehicle". The rover will search for and collect samples on the ground and take them to the NASA lander, which in turn will transfer them to the MAV, from where they will be launched into Martian orbit.
Finally, the third mission – “Earth Return Orbiter”, yet to be programmed – will have the aim of collecting the containers with the samples “on the fly” in the orbit of Mars and bringing them to Earth. Landing is expected in the United States (Utah).
Leonardo is involved in the study of the robotic arm of ESA's "Sample Fetch Rover" and has obtained funding from the same agency to continue the design of the "Sample Transfer Arm" for the NASA lander. Leonardo's competence therefore concerns the acquisition and manipulation systems of the samples to be taken on Mars.
THALES ALENIA SPACE ALSO SHINES
Important day for Thales Alenia Space (joint venture between Thales, 67%, and Leonardo, 33%) which signed an agreement with Airbus Defense and Space for the development of theEarth Return Orbiter, a key element of the third mission which will bring samples of the Martian soil back to earth for the first time. The first tranche of the contract is worth approximately 11 million euros and will cover the initial development and design activities, but the overall value of the agreement amounts to approximately 130 million.
In addition, Thales Alenia Space will provide the communication system that will allow data to be transmitted between the Earth, the Ero probe and Mars. It will design the Orbit Insertion Module and manage the assembly, integration and test phase for the proto-flight model of the Ero spacecraft.
For the Moon, thanks to the experience acquired with the international space station, it will supply the pressurized modules (I-HAB: International Habitat) where the astronauts will be housed for a value of 327 million Euros (of which today the exaggeration has assigned the first tranche of 36 million).
