SpaceX to Launch Europe's Mars Rover After NASA Snub

SpaceX has confirmed it will launch the European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin Mars rover, with a potential launch date as early as late 2028. The mission will utilize a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket departing from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This arrangement follows a complex history involving multiple international partners and significant delays.

The rover's journey began nearly two decades ago, with initial plans for a 2009 launch using a Russian Soyuz rocket. The mission, then named ExoMars, later became a joint initiative with NASA in 2009, aiming for a 2018 launch alongside a US rover. NASA's involvement, however, was canceled in 2012 due to budgetary concerns, particularly overruns with the James Webb Space Telescope.