United Kingdom, March 31 -- Airbus has been selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) and Thales Alenia Space (TAS - a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%)), the ExoMars industrial prime contractor, to build key systems for the ExoMars lander that will safely place the Rosalind Franklin rover on the surface of the Red Planet. After entry and descent through the Mars atmosphere and a parachute assisted braking phase, the landing platform provided by Airbus will ensure a safe landing on the surface of Mars and support the deployment of the rover onto the surface.Under contract from TAS, who are leading the Rosalind Franklin mission, Airbus teams in Stevenage will design the mechanical, thermal and propulsion systems necessa...