Road Map to Mars.

The European Space Agency is planning more than $1 billion worth of missions for its Aurora solar system exploration program, including a return to the Moon. Aurora, a new enterprise still in its early activities phase, is intended to explore the Moon and Mars with a view toward landing astronauts on the red planet around 2030. It is expected to be undertaken in conjunction with similar efforts planned by the U.S., Japan and other nations. Aurora will consist of a number of major flagship missions and smaller technology-driven projects, known as Arrow missions, designed to reduce risk for critical technical innovations. INSET: China Moon.