Leonardo is leading a European industrial consortium with companies from Spain, France, Romania, Denmark, Greece, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

The Italian Space Agency (ASI) has supported the project since the beginning. “Our investments allow us today to affirm the leading role that Italy will have in the exploration of Mars and, in particular, in the Mars Sample Return programme,” said ASI’s president Giorgio Saccoccia.

“This contract reinforces our leadership in space robotics, an important technology for planetary exploration and orbital operations,” said Gabriele Pieralli, managing director of Leonardo’s Electronics Division.