| Manufacturer | Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Goddard Space Flight Center, LISA and LATMOS |
|---|---|
| Instrument type | ion trap mass spectrometer |
| Function | search for organic compounds in Mars' soil |
| Website | ExoMars Rover Instrument Suite |
| Properties | |
| Mass | 11.5 kg (25 lb) |
| Resolution | 10 ppb |
| Host spacecraft | |
| Spacecraft | Rosalind Franklin rover |
| Operator | ESA |
| Launch date | 2028 (planned) |
The Mars Organic Molecule Analyser (MOMA) is a mass spectrometer-based instrument on board the Rosalind Franklin rover to be launched in 2028 to Mars on an astrobiology mission.[1][2] It will search for organic compounds (carbon-containing molecules) in the collected soil samples. By characterizing the molecular structures of detected organics, MOMA can provide insights into potential molecular biosignatures. MOMA will be able to detect organic molecules at concentrations as low as 10 parts-per-billion by weight (ppbw).[1] MOMA examines solid crushed samples exclusively; it does not perform atmospheric analyses.
The Principal Investigator is Fred Goesmann, from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany.[1]
- ^ a b c MOMA - Mars Organics Molecule Analyser. European Space Agency. 25 August 2017.
- ^ Drahl, Carmen (3 May 2023). "The long-awaited mission that could transform our understanding of Mars". Knowable Magazine | Annual Reviews. doi:10.1146/knowable-050323-1. Retrieved 9 May 2023.