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The Aurora programme is a human spaceflight
Human spaceflight

A human spaceflight is a spaceflight with a Astronaut, and possibly passengers. This makes it unlike Robotic spacecraft space probes or remotely-controlled satellites....
 programme of the European Space Agency
European Space Agency

The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmentalism organisation dedicated to the Space exploration, currently with 18 member states....
 established in 2001 with the primary objectives of creating, and then implementing, a European long-term plan for exploration
Space exploration

Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
 of the Solar System
Solar System

The Solar System consists of the Sun and those Astronomical object bound to it by gravity: the eight planets and five dwarf planets, their 173 known Natural satellite, and billions of Small Solar System body....
 using robotic spacecraft and human spaceflight
Human spaceflight

A human spaceflight is a spaceflight with a Astronaut, and possibly passengers. This makes it unlike Robotic spacecraft space probes or remotely-controlled satellites....
. A secondary objective is to search for life beyond the Earth
Astrobiology

Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. This interdisciplinary field encompasses the search for habitable environments in our Solar System and Planetary habitability outside our Solar System, the search for evidence of Abiogenesis, life on Mars and other bodies in our Solar Syst...
.

Member states commit to participation in the Aurora programme for five-year periods (the first is 2005-2009), after which they can change their level of participation or pull out entirely.

first decade is planned to focus on robot
Robot

A robot is a virtual or mechanical artificial agent. In practice, it is usually an Electromechanics which, by its appearance or movements, conveys a sense that it has Intention or Agency of its own....
ic missions.

describes some Aurora programme missions as "Flagship" missions.






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Encyclopedia


The Aurora programme is a human spaceflight
Human spaceflight

A human spaceflight is a spaceflight with a Astronaut, and possibly passengers. This makes it unlike Robotic spacecraft space probes or remotely-controlled satellites....
 programme of the European Space Agency
European Space Agency

The European Space Agency , established in 1975, is an intergovernmentalism organisation dedicated to the Space exploration, currently with 18 member states....
 established in 2001 with the primary objectives of creating, and then implementing, a European long-term plan for exploration
Space exploration

Space exploration is the use of astronomy and space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....
 of the Solar System
Solar System

The Solar System consists of the Sun and those Astronomical object bound to it by gravity: the eight planets and five dwarf planets, their 173 known Natural satellite, and billions of Small Solar System body....
 using robotic spacecraft and human spaceflight
Human spaceflight

A human spaceflight is a spaceflight with a Astronaut, and possibly passengers. This makes it unlike Robotic spacecraft space probes or remotely-controlled satellites....
. A secondary objective is to search for life beyond the Earth
Astrobiology

Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. This interdisciplinary field encompasses the search for habitable environments in our Solar System and Planetary habitability outside our Solar System, the search for evidence of Abiogenesis, life on Mars and other bodies in our Solar Syst...
.

Member states commit to participation in the Aurora programme for five-year periods (the first is 2005-2009), after which they can change their level of participation or pull out entirely.

Missions

Exomars Model At Ila 2006
The first decade is planned to focus on robot
Robot

A robot is a virtual or mechanical artificial agent. In practice, it is usually an Electromechanics which, by its appearance or movements, conveys a sense that it has Intention or Agency of its own....
ic missions.

Flagship missions

ESA describes some Aurora programme missions as "Flagship" missions. The first Flagship mission is ExoMars
ExoMars

ExoMars is a European-led space exploration mission, currently under development by the European Space Agency , that will send a robotic rover to the surface of Mars....
, a robotic mission to Mars. It will involve development of a Mars orbiter
Orbiter

An orbiter is a space probe that orbits a planet or natural satellite without landing on it in order to study its surface from a distance....
, a descent module
Lander (spacecraft)

A lander is a spacecraft which descends toward and comes to rest on the surface of an astronomical body. For bodies with Celestial body atmosphere, the landing is called re-entry and the lander descends as a re-entry vehicle....
 and a Mars rover
Rover (space exploration)

A rover is a space exploration vehicle designed to move across the surface of a planet or other astronomical body. Some rovers have been designed to transport members of a human spaceflight crew; others have been partially or fully autonomous robots....
.

Flagship missions planned as part of Aurora include (as of September 30, 2005):
  • ExoMars
    ExoMars

    ExoMars is a European-led space exploration mission, currently under development by the European Space Agency , that will send a robotic rover to the surface of Mars....
    , consisting of an unmanned orbiter and rover, launching in 2016
  • a robotic Mars Sample Return Mission
    Mars Sample Return Mission

    A Mars Sample Return Mission would be a spaceflight mission to collect rock and dust samples from Mars and to sample return mission to Earth for analysis....
    , to be conducted jointly with NASA
    NASA

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
    , delayed until at least 2016


Arrow missions

Arrow missions are technology demonstrator missions focused on developing a certain technology needed for the Flagship missions. Approved Arrow missions so far (as of January 30, 2003):
  • Earth re-entry vehicle/capsule, a step in the preparations for the Mars Sample Return mission.
  • Mars aerocapture demonstrator, to further develop the technologies for using a planet's atmosphere to brake into orbit. This particular mission seems to have been revised into an expanded mission to demonstrate "aerobraking/aerocapture, solar electric propulsion and soft landing" to be launched in 2018.


Call for ideas on NEXT mission

On 9 March 2007, ESA invited proposals for its Next Exploration Science and Technology (NEXT) mission, which might launch in 2015-2018. NEXT would demonstrate key enabling capabilities, such as descent and precision landing, needed for a future Mars Sample Return mission.

Timeline

The proposed Aurora roadmap (as of September 30, 2005. This roadmap can, and most likely will, go through revisions):
  • 2007 – Earth re-entry vehicle/capsule
  • 2011 – ExoMars
    ExoMars

    ExoMars is a European-led space exploration mission, currently under development by the European Space Agency , that will send a robotic rover to the surface of Mars....
    , a Mars rover. The scientific objectives include exobiological studies as well as study of the surface of Mars.
  • 2014 – Human mission technologies demonstrator(s) to validate technologies for orbital assembly and docking, life support and human habitation
  • 2016 – Mars Sample Return mission with NASA
    NASA

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
  • 2018 – A technology demonstrator for aerobraking
    Aerobraking

    Aerobraking is a spaceflight maneuver that reduces the high point of an elliptical orbit by flying the vehicle through the atmosphere at the low point of the orbit , using Drag to slow the spacecraft....
    /aerocapture
    Aerocapture

    Aerocapture is a technique used to reduce velocity of a spacecraft, arriving at a celestial body with a hyperbolic trajectory, in order to bring it in an orbit with an eccentricity of less than 1....
    , solar electric propulsion and soft landing (formerly envisaged as a smaller Arrow-class mission to be launched in 2010)
  • 2024 – Human mission to the Moon
  • 2026 – Automatic mission to Mars
  • 2030/2033 – First human mission to Mars, as a split mission


Only ExoMars has been formally approved during the December 2005 Ministerial conference, which will postpone to a later date or cancel altogether the Earth re-entry vehicle/capsule, which was proposed for 2007.

The human part of the program has been challenged by the main ESA contributors (France, Germany and Italy), making it quite possible that the whole Aurora Programme will be refocused on robotic-only exploration of Mars.

  • 2013 – ExoMars
    ExoMars

    ExoMars is a European-led space exploration mission, currently under development by the European Space Agency , that will send a robotic rover to the surface of Mars....
    , a Mars rover. The scientific objectives include exobiological studies as well as study of the surface of Mars.
  • 2016? – Mars Sample Return mission with NASA
    NASA

    The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
  • 2018? – A technology demonstrator for aerobraking/aerocapture, solar electric propulsion and soft landing (formerly envisaged as a smaller Arrow-class mission to be launched in 2010)
  • 2026? – Automatic mission to Mars


See also

  • Project Constellation
    Project Constellation

    Constellation is a NASA program with the stated goal of gaining significant experience in operating away from Earth's environment, developing technologies needed for opening the space frontier and conducting fundamental science....


External links