The ExoMars mission has been set up to address one of the biggest space science questions of our age - to understand whether life has existed elsewhere in the Universe.
The European Space Agency's Exploration Programme established the ExoMars programme, consists of two missions for this purpose - in 2016 and 2022.
The missions will answer important questions about the Martian environment and develop technologies that will lay the foundations for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. The missions are in collaboration with Roscosmos, the Russian Space Agency.
The main aims of ExoMars are to examine the geological environment on Mars and search for evidence of environments that may have once, and perhaps could still, support life.
It will also assist in preparing for other robotic missions, including a Mars Sample Return mission, and possible future human exploration. Data from the mission will also provide invaluable input for broader studies of martian geochemistry, environmental science and exobiology - the search for evidence of life on planets beyond Earth.
A mission in two parts
2016 mission into the Martian atmosphere
The 2016 mission concentrated on orbital science observations, particularly those of the methane in Mars' atmosphere, first detected by ESA's Mars Express mission in 2003.
The presence of methane in the martian atmosphere could suggest evidence for possible biological or geological activity.
This first mission arrived with two elements- the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and an Entry, descent and landing Module, known as Schiaparelli. The TGO started scientific operations in April 2018.
The TGO carried four scientific instruments to detect and study atmospheric trace gases, such as methane.
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter analyses the martian atmosphere. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab
The UK was involved in the development and delivery of one of these instruments called NOMAD with Dr Manish Patel at the Open University.
Read about the results of this mission:
