Meet the ERICA research group!

Mars exploration is about to add a new important chapter to its young history. The launch of the NASA/Mars 2020 and ESA/ExoMars 2022 missions will deploy two rovers on the surface of the red planet. These vehicles, remotely controlled from Earth, will equip the analytical tools necessary to answer the following question: Has life ever existed on Mars?

Through the ERICA Research group (UVa-CSIC-CAB associated unit), the University of Valladolid (Spain) is directly involved in both missions, leadng the development of some of the analytical tools onboard the two rovers.

Recognizing the level of excellence achieved by the ERICA group in the development of portable and remote spectroscopic systems, NASA entrusted prof. Fernando Rull (group coordinator) the role of principal investigator in the development of the SuperCam calibration target (SCCT). In addition, the ERICA group also coordinates the development of the RLS instrument (Raman Laser Spectrometer) onboard the ExoMars rover, this being the first Raman spectrometer in history to have been qualified for space exploration missions.

For more information about our work, visit the ERICA website http://erica.uva.es