The European Space Agency has secured a critical lifeline for its ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover through a newly signed agreement with Nasa.
It helps mark a significant milestone in the recovery of the mission, which faced major setbacks after the agency cut ties with Russia in 2022 over its invasion of Ukraine.
Russia was the mission’s main partner and was responsible for providing the Proton launch vehicle and crucial parts of the rover’s landing platform, ensuring its safe descent and operation on the Martian surface.
Now, Nasa has come to the rescue and is working with the European Space Agency (ESA) to secure an American launch provider and technology to help the rover land.
“Nasa supports the Rosalind Franklin mission to continue the strong partnership between the United States and Europe to explore the unknown in our solar system and beyond,” Nicola Fox, associate administrator of Nasa’s science mission directorate, said in a statement on Thursday.
The spacecraft was supposed to be launched in September 2022 and land on Mars nine months later, but geopolitical tensions left the project in jeopardy.
Launch windows are important for missions to Mars because Earth and the Red Planet are only favourably aligned for efficient travel every 26 months due to their orbital mechanics.
Now, a new launch year of 2028 has been decided by the ESA, which would give it sufficient time to continue developing the rover and secure a rocket.
The rover is the second phase of the ESA’s ExoMars mission, which also included the launch of the Trace Gas Orbiter in 2016 to Mars’s orbit, made possible by a Russian rocket.
Drilling for ice beneath Martian surface
The orbiter has helped to provide detailed measurements of methane in the Martian atmosphere, detecting seasonal and localised variations that could suggest potential biological or geological activity.
Scientists have also used the orbiter’s data to help create high-resolution maps of the Martian surface, identifying water-ice deposits and providing data to select potential landing sites for future missions.
The Rosalind Franklin rover is the second phase of the ExoMars mission, which stands out due to its advanced scientific payload, particularly its capability to drill up to 2 metres below the Martian surface.
This depth allows the rover to access ice samples that have been shielded from the harsh surface radiation and extreme temperatures.
It could help increase the likelihood of discovering well-preserved organic molecules.
The Mars Organic Molecule Analyser, a primary science instrument on the rover, will search for the building blocks of life within these samples.
“The Rosalind Franklin rover’s unique drilling capabilities and onboard samples laboratory have outstanding scientific value for humanity’s search for evidence of past life on Mars,” said Ms Fox.
Russia's isolated space programme
Russian Space Agency Roscosmos became increasingly isolated due to sanctions placed on the country after its invasion of Ukraine.
What was once a sector that was always shielded from political struggles on the ground became vulnerable to geopolitical tensions.
Previous Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin refused to launch 36 OneWeb satellites, part of a satellite constellation developed by the European owned firm, which has its headquarters in London.
It gave the company an ultimatum to sever links with the UK government for the launch to go ahead, but the company refused.
The demands were in response to sanctions imposed by the UK.
SpaceX, which has its own Starlink satellite constellation, ended up launching the OneWeb satellites, despite being a competitor.
Russia also suspended all its launch operations from the European spaceport in French Guiana in response to the sanctions imposed by the EU.
Roscosmos withdrew all its 87 employees who were stationed there to support the Soyuz launches that lifted off from the spaceport.
Former deputy prime minister Yury Borisov was appointed the new Roscosmos chief in July 2022.
Since then, the space agency has been working on growing its space militarisation capabilities and is increasing its partnership with China.
Today, political divisions in the space sector appear to be more heightened than ever, with both the US and China trying to secure international partners for their respective projects to the Moon and beyond in this modern space race.
China, which is quickly emerging as another space power, is opening up its space programme for international collaboration.
Recently, it launched miniature satellites built by Sweden, France, Italy and Pakistan on its Chang'e-6 mission to the Moon.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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%3Cp%3EInstances%20of%20violence%20against%20Syrian%20refugees%20are%20not%20uncommon.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJust%20last%20month%2C%20security%20camera%20footage%20of%20men%20violently%20attacking%20and%20stabbing%20an%20employee%20at%20a%20mini-market%20went%20viral.%20The%20store%E2%80%99s%20employees%20had%20engaged%20in%20a%20verbal%20altercation%20with%20the%20men%20who%20had%20come%20to%20enforce%20an%20order%20to%20shutter%20shops%2C%20following%20the%20announcement%20of%20a%20municipal%20curfew%20for%20Syrian%20refugees.%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CThey%20thought%20they%20were%20Syrian%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20the%20mayor%20of%20the%20Nahr%20el%20Bared%20municipality%2C%20Charbel%20Bou%20Raad%2C%20of%20the%20attackers.%3Cbr%3EIt%20later%20emerged%20the%20beaten%20employees%20were%20Lebanese.%20But%20the%20video%20was%20an%20exemplary%20instance%20of%20violence%20at%20a%20time%20when%20anti-Syrian%20rhetoric%20is%20particularly%20heated%20as%20Lebanese%20politicians%20call%20for%20the%20return%20of%20Syrian%20refugees%20to%20Syria.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
