Life on Mars

Perseverance: extreme testing for SuperCam components

08 Mar 2021

To test the reliability of the Perseverance rover's camera and laser, the Thales teams put the components through their paces in extreme conditions.

The exploration of Mars: taking the next steps

19 Feb 2021

Cutting-edge laser technology from Thales on board the new Mars rover is set to help discover whether there was past life on the planet.

On Mars, with Perseverance!

19 Feb 2021

After a journey lasting nearly seven months, NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars yesterday, February 18. It landed in the Jezero Crater, a 45-kilometer (28 mile) hole in the ground about 18 degrees north of the Martian equator. This was a huge success for NASA’s Mars 2020 program and all partners involved, including of course Thales, which built the laser at the heart of SuperCam, the instrument that will look for potential signs of life on the Red Planet.

Exploring space to prepare for Earth’s future

25 Nov 2020

Space exploration isn’t simply a sign of humanity’s hubris or a brazen desire to find new places to live and new sources of wealth. If we take the risk of venturing beyond our terrestrial home, it’s also to learn more about ourselves and our planet, improve life on Earth, and maybe, just maybe, find or create a new future for our children, says Walter Cugno, Vice President Exploration and Science Domain at Thales Alenia Space

From Turin to Cannes, and from Baikonur all the way to Mars!

29 Sep 2020

While the ExoMars* program may seem like science fiction to some of you, it’s about to head for the planet Mars on its second mission. The entire spacecraft, comprising the carrier and descent modules, the landing platform and ESA’s new rover, is scheduled for a 2022 launch. Our valorous vessel is set for a voyage through the Solar System of nearly 500 million kilometers before it can send the landing platform down to Mars.

Digging deep into the Martian sub-surface to detect signs of life

19 Aug 2019

While ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter is sniffing the Martian atmosphere, the ExoMars 2020 Rover will analyse the deepest-ever subsurface soil samples to find any forms of life on the Red Planet.