The contract is the first of its kind for Europe and comes at a time when the region is trying to reduce its reliance on the US, especially in the defence and space sectors. The last rover mission was in 2021, when the US landed its Perseverance vehicle on the Red Planet to collect rocks and other materials for study back on Earth.
Airbus has won a GBP150 million ($260.42 million) contract to develop a landing platform that will deliver a UK-built rover onto Mars for a mission to look for signs of life.
The European Space Agency awarded Airbus UK the deal to build the lander for the ExoMars mission scheduled to launch in 2028 with NASA, the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology said on Saturday. The rover, built by Airbus, is set to touch down on Mars at the end of the decade.
