Sener is finishing the qualification campaign for Rosalind Franklin's landing gear, with flight units due for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2026 ahead of the ExoMars launch planned for 2028. Four legs must unfold in less than one second before the landing platform reaches the Martian surface.
On 1 October, ESA is due to test autonomous navigation in the Tabernas desert in Almería. The campaign will use the remotely operated experimental vehicle "Charlie", controlled from Turin, to recreate scientific work planned for Mars.
The mechanism travels folded during descent and opens automatically just before contact with Mars. Non-explosive actuators trigger its deployment, while parachutes and braking engines help control the descent and landing sequence.
With Thales and Airbus as the programme's basic contractors, Sener has already tested structural integrity and performance under environmental conditions. The remaining work precedes the handover of the mission units.
Reports published on 29 and 30 September 2026 said Sener was in the final qualification phase. They also put delivery of the flight hardware in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Rosalind Franklin is being built to drill as deep as two metres below the Martian surface. No previous Mars rover in this programme has carried out that task. The rover will study samples shielded from radiation and the harsh conditions at ground level, helping scientists examine the planet's subsurface geochemical environment.
ExoMars was reconfigured after cooperation between the European Space Agency and Roscosmos ended. European industry then had to develop systems originally expected from the Russian agency. The target launch date remained 2028.
Sener's landing gear is a flight-critical mechanism. It also reflects the industrial work needed to keep the mission on schedule.
The landing platform must carry a 310-kilogram rover and keep it stable after touchdown. Airbus became the platform's basic contractor in 2025, responsible for its mechanical and thermal systems, with propulsion also in its remit.
Sener's work extends beyond the four legs. The Spanish company is supplying UHF communications antennas for descent, while its capsule hardware includes separation mechanisms and an adapter.
On the rover, Sener is responsible for the positioning and translation system for the drill. The company is also supplying the solar-panel deployment mechanism.
Another component is the umbilical release mechanism. Made in Poland, it provides the electromechanical connection between the rover and the descent module.
Sener has also worked on antenna-pointing mechanisms for Curiosity and Perseverance. NASA used those rovers on the Mars Science Laboratory and Mars 2020 missions.
This European aerospace work sits alongside other examples of Spanish industrial activity, including an earlier industry report on Ford Almussafes. The Ford example puts Sener's work in the context of Spain's wider record of high-value engineering and manufacturing commitments, while the technical challenge at ExoMars remains distinct.
ESA's next public test will move from qualification hardware into the field. In the Tabernas desert, "Charlie" will be controlled from Turin on 1 October. The campaign will test autonomous navigation and recreate planned scientific activities.
ESA reported a separate test on 26 September. The landing platform separated successfully from its backshell, and its four supports deployed in a slowed-down scenario.
The mission schedule calls for launch in 2028 and an expected Mars landing around 2030. Sener and the European Space Agency say the work supports that launch plan following the programme's redesign.
Everything must work in sequence. The linked mechanisms must handle separation and communications, then support drilling and surface operations. Sener's nearly qualified landing gear gives that chain a precise physical test: four legs must open correctly before touchdown.
