To Mars and boldly beyond: space missions to look out for

A new world of space exploration is unfolding over the next few years, from the ExoMars robot drilling to asteroid exploration, the ESA's mission to Jupiter's icy moons and the Solar Orbiter

If there was ever life on Mars, it probably existed during the first billion years following the planet's formation, when the Martian surface was far warmer and wetter than today. The central aim of the European Space Agency's ExoMars mission, is to seek out any remaining bio-signatures left behind. The mission's first launch, of an orbiter that will sample the Martian atmosphere, is scheduled for next year. The highlight, though, will be the arrival of the six-wheeled ExoMars Rover, due to go up in 2018. The rover follows the Curiosity robot, but while Curiosity could only penetrate a few centimetres beneath the Martian soil, ExoMars will be able to drill two metres below the surface to search for preserved organic matter protected from the harsh surface radiation. ESA scientists are currently debating the landing site for the rover most likely to yield signs of ancient life - a likely option is an ancient riverbed which would have been a watery environment in the past and where sediments would have been buried and preserved quickly in the past.