From Mars to Earth

• ESA's Aurora programme ExoMars rover on target for 2013 launch
• ESA award next phase rover development contract to Astrium in the UK
• New funds for UK ExoMars instruments and technology
• STFC announce next round of Aurora Fellowship scheme.
• UK to strengthen its lead in Earth observation with the National Centre for Earth Observation

UK expertise and ongoing commitment to space exploration and Earth observation was showcased today at an event in central London featuring Astrium's ExoMars rover prototype Bridget, new funding for UK ExoMars instruments and technology development and a UK centre to coordinate Earth observation.

The event highlighted the leading scientific and industrial role the UK is playing in Europe's flagship exploration programme Aurora, coordinated in the UK by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) including the ExoMars rover planned for launch in 2013.

In addition, Britain's world-class technology and capability in Earth observation will be consolidated by the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) proposed National Centre for Earth Observation, due to open in 2008. Earth observation satellites are essential tools for understanding the environments in which we live. Without satellites, scientists would know far less about important global changes like sea level rise, ozone depletion, atmospheric pollution and climate change.

The European Space Agency's latest contract for the next development stage of the ExoMars rover, Phase B1 and worth £2.56 million [€3.8 million], has been awarded to Astrium in the UK. 

Dr Mike Healy, Director of Earth observation, navigation and science at Astrium said: "We welcome the reaffirmation of the UK's support through STFC for the ExoMars mission and the commitment of Europe to return to Mars. The latest decision now enables a clear focus for the development of the project up to its planned launch in 2013. We now have a mission that promises to deliver world-class science, provided through its suite of cutting-edge analytical instruments that constitute the Pasteur payload."

"This latest step forward for the UK space industry is complemented perfectly by the latest announcements and developments in technology and expertise in Earth observation – which is playing an increasingly crucial role in helping us understand and address climate change," continue Mike Healy.

UK scientists and engineers received a new investment of almost £2 million [circa €2.96M] from STFC for ongoing research and development of instrumentation and technologies for the ExoMars mission.

Professor Keith Mason, STFC Chief Executive and Chair of the British National Space Centre [BNSC] Board said," This latest investment in ExoMars R&D builds on the initial funding [£1.7M] announced at this time last year and will enable UK engineers and scientists to bring their technologies to the final stage of readiness prior to building flight instruments".

Several leading UK space industrial companies including SEA and SciSys are involved in the Aurora ExoMars mission [see Notes to Editors].

STFC also announced the second round of its Aurora Fellowship scheme. The cross-disciplinary scheme is designed to enhance the UK's capabilities in space science research [planetology and astrobiology] by developing the careers of promising young researchers in order to better position the UK to fully exploit both ESA's Aurora and science programme. The first 3 Aurora Fellows take up their positions in October 2007.

Remarking on the Fellowship scheme Professor Mason said, "The UK's ability to exploit national involvement throughout the life-cycle of the Aurora programme depends on the health and vibrancy of the UK's space science community. This is a strategic investment in our future".

Professor Alan O'Neil, Reading University and Director of NERC's proposed National Centre for Earth Observation said: "There's no doubt that we face urgent challenges of climate change and environmental change. We need to understand what is happening and why it's happening. We are the custodians of Planet Earth and we need to put in place systems with which to manage it for the future, and Earth observation has a crucial role to play in those systems."

Press Contacts:

Jeremy Close | – Astrium UK
Tel: +44 (0)1 438 77 3872.  Mobile: 07766 536572

Peter Barratt |– Science and Technology Facilities Council
Tel: +44 (0)1793 442025. Mobile: 0787 9602899

Matthew Edworthy | – Natural Environment Resources Council
Tel: +44 (0)1793 411974

Notes to Editors:

Astrium is leading the design and development of the rover vehicle that will be landed on the surface of Mars and will carry the Pasteur payload that will search for signs of past and present life.   Since the award of the contract, Astrium has been working to optimise the configuration of the rover to meet its stringent goals. It is employing some of the leading experts from across Europe and Canada to assist in this difficult task. It has also created a prototype rover "Bridget" to perform feasibility studies to understand and evaluate design options.

The project faces challenges in the future, not least the need to meet the 2013 launch date. Before it is launched, the vehicle must be manufactured in a biologically clean condition in order to avoid contamination of its ultra sensitive experiments with microbial spores originating on Earth. When it reaches Mars, the rover will be faced with largely unknown terrain to traverse and will depend on its on-board autonomous navigation system to define safe paths as it crosses rock-strewn landscapes and fields of deep dust.

ExoMars Images available to download (link opens in a new window) |.

UK instrument work (link opens in a new window) |

Websites

ESA ExoMars (link opens in a new window) |
Aurora in UK (link opens in a new window) | website
Previous Aurora release (link opens in a new window)|

Several UK space industrial companies are involved in ExoMars including SEA [Systems Engineering & Assessment Ltd] and SciSys.

System Engineering & Accessment (SEA) (link opens in a new window) |
SEA is recognised as expert in Planetary Protection (both the prevention of contamination of Mars by terrestrial life forms and the contamination of the Earth by alien life forms brought back in samples) and (with the support of the Open University) is responsible for the Planetary Protection work for Thales Alenia Space acting as the ExoMars Prime Contractor and also as the Lead of the EDLS and Carrier/Orbiter work.

SEA have studied the compatibility of materials to be used on the spacecraft with the range of candidate sterilisation processes and written the Planetary Protection Implementation Plan, which drives the overall mission approach to the subject and has technical and cost implications at all levels of the project.

Contact:
Dr. Chris Chaloner|
Business Development
Tel: 01373 852168
Mobile: 07740 113068

SciSys

SciSys selected to support Mars vehicle software development. 

SciSys UK Ltd (link opens in a new window) |, a leading European software and systems house has been selected to support the software design and bread-boarding tasks for the ExoMars Rover as part of the EADS Astrium-led Phase B1 Vehicle contract.

This builds upon heritage previously developed by SciSys during the ExoMars Rover Phase A programme and will in particular address the operational challenges posed by this autonomous rover when on the Martian surface. A key task will be to select architecture for the vehicle software that best supports activities such as navigation, locomotion and instrument sensing while meeting constraints imposed on the system such as dependability, mass, power and processing resources.

While ExoMars will be the flagship programme for Aurora, other projects are anticipated. To prepare for these ESA will need to simulate and so evaluate the complex entry, descent and landing phase of such missions.

To assist this SciSys have been invited by ESA to negotiate the delivery of a High Fidelity EDLS simulator (HiFiEDLS). This task would be led by SciSys with the support of partners from UK, France and Germany.

HiFiEDLS would provide a suite of simulation tools capable of supporting EDLS system and mission design, analysis, and trade-offs, as well as supporting the eventual project across its entire lifecycle.

Contact:
Chris Lee
Sales and Marketing Manager
SciSys
23 Clothier Rd, Brislington
Bristol BS5 4SS, UK
Tel: +44 1179 717251
Mob: +44 (0)7715 159541

About Astrium (link opens in a new window) |

Astrium, a wholly owned subsidiary of EADS, is dedicated to providing civil and defence space systems and services. In 2006, Astrium had a turnover of €3.2 billion and 12,000 employees in France, Germany, the United Kingdom (2,500), Spain and the Netherlands. Its three main areas of activity are: the business units Astrium Space Transportation for launchers and orbital infrastructure, and Astrium Satellites for spacecraft and ground segment, and its wholly owned subsidiary Astrium Services for the development and delivery of satellite services.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2006, EADS generated revenues of €39.4 billion and employed a workforce of more than 116, 000.

The Science and Technology Facilities Council and the Natural Environmental Research Council are partners in the UK space programme, coordinated by the British National Space Centre.