The primary goal of the ExoMars programme is to address the question of whether life has ever existed on Mars. This relates to its name, with the ‘exo’ referring to the study of exobiology – the possible existence of life beyond Earth (sometimes also referred to as astrobiology).
The programme comprises two missions: The first launched in March 2016 and consists of the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and Schiaparelli, an entry, descent and landing demonstrator module. The second, Rosalind Franklin (RFM), comprises a rover and surface science platform.
To read more about ExoMars – ESA – ExoMars
To read more about Human and Robotics Exploration Mars activities: To Mars and back – Europes’ contributions to Mars science and exploration