The mission is also made possible by advanced UK robotics and autonomous navigation technologies, which can be deployed in challenging environments on Earth too, such as nuclear power plants and the deep ocean.
Technology secretary Peter Kyle said: “This inspiring example of world-class British science will bring us one step closer to answering long-asked questions on potential life on Mars.
“Landing the first ever homegrown rover on Mars, Airbus will not only help Britain make history and lead the European space race but also bring hundreds of highly skilled jobs and investment as we secure Britain’s future through our Plan for Change.”
Dame Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock said: “The British-built Rosalind Franklin rover will give us vital insight into the history of Mars. This type of information from other planets can give us a better understanding of our own place in space and our planetary evolution.
“With its unique design that enables it to acquire samples at depths of up to two metres, we may get answers to some of the fundamental questions we ask about Mars. Drilling to this depth allow us to look for life away from the hostile Martian surface where radiation is likely to kill life as we know it.
“Samples gathered by the Rosalind Franklin rover may help us answer the age old question ‘Are we alone in the universe?’
The US was the last nation to send a rover to Mars in 2021, when Nasa’s Perseverance Mars rover collected samples on the red planet. Last year, Perseverance analysed a rock on Mars that [had “some indications”](https://eandt.theiet.org/2024/07/26/martian-rock-discovered-contains-signs-microbial-life) it may have hosted microbial life billions of years ago. But the tools onboard the rover were not advanced enough to definitively determine whether it was life or not at this stage.