The Aurora Programme is a programme of the European Space Agency established in 2001 with the primary objectives of creating, and then implementing, a European long-term plan for exploration of the Solar System using robotic spacecraft and human spaceflight. A secondary objective is to search for life beyond the Earth.^[1] ESA redirects here. ... Space exploration is the physical exploration of outer space, both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft. ... Major features of the Solar System (not to scale; from left to right): Pluto, Neptune, Uranus, Saturn, Jupiter, the asteroid belt, the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth and its Moon, and Mars. ... An artists interpretation of the MESSENGER spacecraft at Mercury A robotic spacecraft is a spacecraft with no humans on board, that is usually under telerobotic control. ... boogers loser The furthest of destinations for manned spaceflight missions has been the Moon. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

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. 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2009 (MMIX) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Missions

The first decade is planned to focus on robotic missions. My name is tyler bonin. ...

Flagship missions

ESA describes some Aurora programme missions as "Flagship" missions. The first Flagship mission is ExoMars, a robotic mission to Mars. It will involve development of a Mars orbiter, a descent module and a Mars rover.^[2] ExoMars model at ILA 2006 (Berlin) ExoMars. ... Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the solar system, named after the Roman god of war (the counterpart of the Greek Ares), on account of its blood red color as viewed in the night sky. ... An orbiter is a spacecraft that orbits a planet or moon without landing on it in order to study the objects surface from a safe distance. ... A lander is a type of spacecraft which descends to come to rest on the surface of an astronomical body. ... A rover is a space exploration vehicle designed to move across the surface of a planet or other astronomical body. ...

Flagship missions planned as part of Aurora include (as of September 30, 2005): September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• ExoMars, consisting of an unmanned orbiter and rover, launching in 2013
• a robotic Mars Sample Return Mission, to be conducted jointly with NASA, delayed until at least 2016

ExoMars model at ILA 2006 (Berlin) ExoMars. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Mars Return Sample Mission is a joint project between NASA and ESA to collect rock and dust samples from Mars and to return them to Earth for analysis. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... 2016 (MMXVI) will be a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Arrow missions

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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): January 30 is the 30th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• 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.^[3]

Atmosphere is the general name for a layer of gases that may surround a material body of sufficient mass. ...

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.^[4] March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (69th in leap years). ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ...

Roadmap

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The proposed Aurora roadmap (as of September 30, 2005. This roadmap can, and most likely will go through revisions): September 30 is the 273rd day of the year (274th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• 2007 – Earth re-entry vehicle/capsule
• 2011 – ExoMars, 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
• 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)
• 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. 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the CE era. ... 2011 (MMXI) will be a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... ExoMars model at ILA 2006 (Berlin) ExoMars. ... 2014 (MMXIV) will be a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2016 (MMXVI) will be a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... 2018 (MMXVIII) will be a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 2024 (MMXXIV) will be a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2026 (MMXXVI) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2030 (MMXXX) will be a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Centuries: 20th century - 21st century - 22nd century Decades: 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s - 2030s - 2040s 2050s 2060s 2070s 2080s Years: 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 - 2033 - 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 The year 2033 (MMXXXIII) in the Gregorian calendar corresponds to 5793-5794 in the Hebrew calendar. ...

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, 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
• 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

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... ExoMars model at ILA 2006 (Berlin) ExoMars. ... 2016 (MMXVI) will be a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an agency of the United States federal government, responsible for the nations public space program. ... 2018 (MMXVIII) will be a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 2026 (MMXXVI) will be a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

References

See also

• Project Constellation

Project Constellation is NASAs current plan for space exploration. ...

External links

• Aurora site at ESA
• Aurora Industry Day 2006
• Brochure of the Aurora Programme