Russia is notorious for failing at Mars missions, but they are confident this attempt will reach the red plant.
The European ExoMars project hopes to launch a stationary lander in 2016 and a rover in 2018, Space.com reported. After NASA backed out on funding, the project's team turned to Russia for help.
The country built a rocket-powered landing system, which they hope will help the rover land on Mars. Once on the planet's surface they hope to have the robot up to drill six feet into the ground to collect biological markers that were protected by the radiation.
"This latter mission remains unique, and when it's launched in 2018, it will be a major innovation compared with anything that's happened to date on the surface of Mars," Jean-Jacques Dordain, director-general of the European Space Agency (ESA) said.
The projects have still not received full funding. The mission ran into some problems when NASA withdrew from the ExoMars project because of their own financial woes.
On the other hand, NASA has promised to provide them with five rockets and a "sky-crane" landing system to help with the launch of the rover.
Russia accomplished the first "soft landing" on Mars in the 1970s, but Mars has been rejecting them ever since. The past two attempts the country made at returning to Mars failed before they even left Earth's orbit.
The Russians have devised a new "descent module," but it wasn't much different than previous technology.
"The final landing system is not based on airbags. It will be based on landing legs, but the key sensors, as well as parts of algorithms for guidance, navigation and control, the radars and that kind of stuff will come from us," Vincenzo Giorgio, vice president of exploration and science at Thales Alenia Space said.
The European team is developing a parachute system for the rover, while Russia will "fabricate the lander's metal structure and heat shield supply the descent module's braking rockets and build the separation systems required to open the system's aerodynamic shell before landing," according to ESA's Jorge Vago.
"There is a lot of experience that will be gained in 2016 to mitigate the risks for 2018, in spite of the fact the descent module will not be led by Europe. It will be led by Russia," Georgio said.
NASA plans to help out with the mission by offering their knowledge gained from previous Mars landings.
"We stand ready to lend our expertise and help in any way we can to help ESA get to the surface of Mars," Jim Green, head of NASA's planetary science division and acting director of the Mars robotic exploration program, said.
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