Preparatory Mars expedition aiming for potential human touch-down
The UK's Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) is leading an international effort to understand Mars' space weather with the M-MATISSE mission. This promising project, principally sponsored by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) and Durham University, aims to pave the way for future crewed missions to the Red Planet.
M-MATISSE is designed as a precursor to human exploration of Mars, with the primary purpose of understanding and forecasting Mars' space weather to protect both spacecraft and future astronauts. The mission involves sending two robotic orbiters, Henri and Marguerite, to comprehensively study Mars' magnetosphere, ionosphere, thermosphere, the lower atmosphere, and radiation environment.
The specific goals of the mission are to characterize the dynamics of Mars' entire atmospheric system, provide the first global, simultaneous dual-location observations, advance knowledge of how space weather influences surface processes, build an early warning system for hazardous space weather conditions, and deliver the most sensitive measurement of ions, neutrals, and electrons yet taken at Mars.
Expected contributions to understanding space weather and habitability include detailed insight into the interaction of solar radiation and wind with Mars’ atmosphere, improved comprehension of atmospheric escape processes and surface impacts, and laying scientific groundwork that will directly contribute to safeguarding future human exploration missions.
If approved by the European Space Agency (ESA), M-MATISSE would be the first mission dedicated solely to planetary space weather at Mars, marking a significant advance in the preparation for human presence on the Red Planet. The UK will provide one of the payloads for the M-MATISSE mission, leading the Mars Ensemble of Particle Instruments (M-EPI).
One of the instruments in M-EPI is the Mars - Electron Analyser System (M-EAS), for in-situ detection of electrons on both M-MATISSE spacecraft.
The project M-MATISSE is a potential precursor to a crewed mission to Mars and could shed further light on the planet's habitability. For more information about the mission concept, visit the provided website. A talk about M-MATISSE will be held at the National Astronomy Meeting (NAM) on July 9, 2025, at 14:55 BST in room TLC101.
Durham University, a globally outstanding center of teaching and research based in historic Durham City in the UK, is spearheading this international effort during the mission selection phase, responsible for the particle instrument suite and the mission Science Centre. The RAS, a UK-based organization that encourages and promotes the study of astronomy, solar-system science, geophysics, and closely related branches of science, is also involved in the mission.
With M-MATISSE, we take a significant step towards understanding the complexities of Mars' space weather and move one step closer to making human exploration of the Red Planet a reality.
The M-MATISSE mission, spearheaded by the UK's Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), leverages technology to comprehensively study Mars' space weather, with this knowledge essential for safeguarding future human explorers and spacecraft. As part of the mission, Durham University is leading the development of the Mars Ensemble of Particle Instruments (M-EPI), including the Mars - Electron Analyser System (M-EAS), designed to detect electrons on both M-MATISSE spacecraft.
