[ESA] Join the Science Definition Team (SDT) to help define the Exploration Science Payload for a proposed future Mars lander: MEDaL-1. Full announcement
The European Explore2040 strategy expresses a bold vision aimed at establishing a continuous, sustainable and responsible human and robotic exploration of the Solar System. The European Space Agency (ESA) has proposed a stepwise approach and synergies between destinations, to support an achievable and affordable execution of European exploration activities. Continued access to Mars is crucial for the implementation of the strategy and to enable excellence in science outcomes, bring about technological innovation, and generate wider socio-economic benefits.
Following on from the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin Rover Mission (RFM), the Mars Advanced Entry Descent and Landing (MEDaL) initiative is the next step in European Mars lander capabilities, providing the capability for a fully European Mars landing with high precision.
Two parallel industrial studies of the first mission of this initiative, MEDal-1, will begin in September 2026. Details of the MEDaL-1 concept can be found in the Mission Description Document (AD-MDD, can be downloaded through the link available at the Submission Form, this does require signing in to OSIP). MEDal-1 is planned to be a fixed lander with a latitude constraint of 0 – 20°N, to operate on the surface of Mars for 2 martian years. The payload resource availability and associated subsystems are not yet defined but are due to be clarified by the Prime Contractors at the MEDaL-1 Mission Concept Review.
The mission objective of MEDaL-1 is not driven by fundamental science, rather it is focused on European exploration capability build up. Nonetheless, the MEDaL-1 mission offers the opportunity to take science payload to the martian surface. The priority for science payload is for exploration focused science, i.e., science measurements that directly link to the preparedness for future exploration missions within the scope of Explore2040.
The exploration focused scientific themes for MEDaL-1 shall cover:
- Surface-based investigations on atmospheric dynamics and transport processes, specifically dust and wind dynamics within the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL), with potential science operations during day/night and dust storms.
- Physical and chemical properties of surface regolith and dust.
Additional exploration enabled science payload might also be able to be accommodated. Exploration enabled science themes and objectives are wide open.
It should be noted that no decision has been taken by ESA to undertake any such missions described in this Call. All material provided as an outcome to this Call will be used for information and planning purposes only. This Call does not bind ESA to any present or future procurements actions, nor does it create any rights for respondents in relation to any present or future ESA procurements.
- OBJECTIVE OF THIS CALL
The objective of this Call is to solicit participation of scientists to form the Science Definition Team (SDT) for MEDaL-1. The SDT will feed into a wider Instrument Definition Team (IDT), comprised of ESA engineers and other experts. The SDT and IDT will run alongside the industrial Phase A (see Figure 1: MEDaL-1 Phase A Study Logic).
It is expected that the final recommendations of the SDT and IDT will be made as input to the mission level industrial Progress Meeting 2 at the end of April 2026. The activities of the SDT are expected to be supported by a mixture of in-person and on-line meetings with a maximum number of 20 working days over the course of 12 months. There will be reimbursement for travel & subsistence expenses to in-person meetings and for time commitment for contributing to deliverables for SDT members located in one of the ESA Member States, Associate Member States or Cooperating States .
- Two in-person 2.5-day workshop are planned to take place on:
30 November to 2 December 2026 at ESTEC;
24 to 26 March 2027 at ESTEC. - Two payload workshops with industry (only a subset of the SDT is expected to participate in person).
The SDT will be selected through an open call, with review and selection conducted by an ESA internal review panel. The team shall include expertise in the following areas: Mars atmospheric dynamics and chemistry, Mars surface dynamical processes and chemistry, general Mars geology and geophysics, Mars surface instrument development and use.
Payload definition, resources, support functions and interfaces are elaborated in an iterative process between the SDT, IDT, ESA and industry in Phase A of MEDaL-1.
Astrobiology, Astrogeology,
