ESA - Robotic Exploration of Mars - Announcement of Opportunity for ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Instruments

The ExoMars Programme comprises two joint mission opportunities for launch in 2016 and 2018. These will investigate the Martian environment and demonstrate new technologies paving the way for a future Mars sample return mission in the 2020's.

Artist's impression of the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.  Credit: ESA

This orbiter will accommodate scientific instruments for the detection of atmospheric trace gases, the study of their temporal and spatial evolution, and the localization of their source regions. In addition, the 2016 orbiter will provide surface telecommunications support for the 2018 mission and for other landed assets until 2022.

Instrument proposals having an international dimension are encouraged. In particular, participation is encouraged from scientists in the U.S. and in countries contributing to ESA's Aurora Programme (Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Greece, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom). The two agencies will conduct a joint evaluation and coordinated selection process leading to a mutually agreed payload.

This AO is issued as an appendix to the NASA Stand Alone Mission of Opportunity Notice Announcement of Opportunity (SALMON AO). The SALMON AO provides the overall structure and guidelines for several types of mission of opportunity solicitations. Each new opportunity is announced with a program element appendix (PEA). The PEA for this AO is given as "H6: ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Instruments Investigations".

Interested parties should note that this Announcement of Opportunity serves as the only mechanism for proposals from ESA participating state investigators wishing to participate in the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Science.

Schedule

Proposal Submission

Proposals must be submitted electronically via NASA's secure master proposal data base system, the NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES) at http://nspires.nasaprs.com/. All organisations and individuals named on the proposals must be registered in NSPIRES. Potential proposers are urged to access this site well in advance of the Notice of Intent and proposal due dates to familiarize themselves with its structure and enter the requested identifier information.

Important documents

Other support documents, including

• Experiment proposal information package (E-PIP);
• Report of the Mars Orbiter Joint Instrument Definition Team (JIDT);
• ExoMars Science Management Plan;

can be found in the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Instruments AO Library, located at:
http://salmon.larc.nasa.gov/SALMONreflib.html#ExoMars

Further information, contacts, questions

ESA point of contact:
Dr. Jorge L. Vago
ExoMars Project Scientist
ESA/ESTEC (SRE-SM)
Noordwijk
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 71 565 5211
Email: jorge.vagoesa.int

NASA point of contact:
Dr. Philippe Crane
Planetary Science Division
Science Mission Directorate
NASA Headquarters
Washington, DC 20546-0001
Tel: +1 202-358-0716
Email: Philippe.Cranenasa.gov

Questions:

Please submit questions electronically to the following address:

ExoMars_TGO_2016nasa.gov

Questions will be accepted up to 2 weeks before the proposal due date.