Preparing the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover for its first steps on Mars
"Every move you make", the famous chorus of a classic from the past has been resonating in the minds of our technicians while testing every move of Amalia*, the Ground Test Model of the rover, completing its egress test campaign, another important step in preparing the rover for its future journey across the Martian surface.
As part of the ESA ExoMars 2028 program, the egress test campaign was conducted by the Thales Alenia Space team, as industrial prime contractor for the ExoMars 2028 mission, at ALTEC’s facilities in Turin at the Rover Operations Control Centre (ROCC), using the mock-up of the Landing Platform supplied by Airbus Defence and Space.
A critical move
Once the Rosalind Franklin rover will land on the Red Planet, the first and one of its most critical tasks will be to leave the landing platform and reach the surrounding terrain. This operation, known as egress, is not simply a matter of driving down a ramp. It involves a carefully planned sequence of operations, procedures and decisions designed to ensure that the rover can safely transition from the platform to the Martian surface.
The landing platform features two pair of exit ramps, two at the front and two at the back, allowing different configurations to be tested. During the campaign, the team performed different egress scenarios, including forward and backward egress, and evaluated the combined performance of the rover and the egress subsystem across different ramp and terrain configurations, with obstacles beneath or alongside the ramps to simulate landing on uneven or rocky terrain.
These tests are essential because the conditions around the rover after landing cannot be fully known in advance. The most suitable egress manoeuvre will depend on the situation encountered on the Martian surface. Testing different scenarios on Earth therefore allows engineers to validate procedures, gather operational experience and support the decisions that will be made during the actual mission.
We’ll be watching (over) you!
The rover’s driving manoeuvre itself may take only a few minutes, but the complete egress sequence on Mars will be a much longer and carefully coordinated operation. Before Rosalind Franklin can begin driving across the Red Planet, a series of checks and preparations will have to be completed.
With the completion of the egress campaign Rosalind Franklin is one step closer to its first moments on the Red Planet… every step you take, engineers will be watching you.
*Amalia is the Ground Test Model of the Rosalind Franklin rover, used on Earth to reproduce and test key aspects of the rover’s future operations. Through dedicated testing, engineers can recreate different scenarios and assess how the rover behaves as it moves from the platform towards the terrain.
