The European Space Agency (ESA) has extended a contract for the ExoMars mission to Mars worth €98m.

The extension will cover all programme activities to March 2011, enabling system preliminary design review (PDR) in autumn 2010.

ExoMars includes a mission in 2016 to study the Martian atmosphere and demonstrate the feasibility of entry, descent and landing phases technology.

The mission also involves a second mission in 2018, including an autonomous European rover to take samples of the soil down to a depth of 2m, and analysing its chemical, physical and biological properties.

With the extension, Thales Alenia will be able to finalise the preliminary design of the two missions in 2016 and 2018 and prepare modules for the next development and production phase in April 2011.

In addition, detailed design, procurement and testing can start for critical units.

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ExoMars, the first mission in ESA’s Aurora exploration programme, is being carried out in concert with Nasa.