Oh, there are several due.
Next year 2016, then NASA will send the Insight lander - it's the same technology as the successful Phoenix lander - but it's mainly going to find out about the Mars interior. It will drill about 5 meters into the ground. It can't move, is fixed to one landing site. One other innovation, it will carry two cube sats to release into a flyby to help relay information about the landing itself.
InSight
Same year, ESA will send its ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter which is more sensitive to gases in the Mars atmosphere than anything sent there before, can also map them spatially and may for instance give us answers to the questions about methane plumes - where they originate, and how long they last. Also many other trace gases in the Mars atmosphere. It will also send a demo lander preparatory for Exomars but it isn't designed to last long on the surface. Main focus is to prove they can land successfully.
In 2018, India plans to launch an orbiter and lander + rover to Mars, but at an early stage of planning. Mars-2 Mission to Launch in 2018, Says Isro
In 2020 then NASA will send its successor to Curiosity. In some ways more capable but in some ways less so. They have ditched SAM in order to make space for a canister to fill with samples from Mars that they hope some day will be returned to Earth for analysis. They also include Moxie which is of no use at all for search for life or study of Mars and is meant to demonstrate production of oxygen on Mars - the oxygen isn't used for anything, just discarded after it is made. I don't see the point in moxie myself, especially on a rover mission what's more - but those who are keen on humans to Mars are keen on it. It also will be one of the first missions to send a Raman spectrometer to Mars.
Same year ESA sends ExoMars which also has a Raman spectrometer - and it is designed to search for biosignatures. It's also designed to be able to drill up to two meters below the surface (the drilling ,as for Insight, is done by a self hammering robotic mole). The first attempt to drill below the surface in search for life.
Both of these are looking for past life on Mars.
Currently there are no future missions planned to search for present day life there. Any mission of that type would have to be thoroughly sterilized to be permitted to visit the special regions of Mars where habitats for present day life are thought to be possible (though not confirmed yet). There are ideas for missions of that type but nothing actually planned AFAIK. It's a challenge because of the need for sterilization and also some of the most interesting regions to look for life may be harder to access,- and the equatorial regions are easiest to access.
Next year 2016, then NASA will send the Insight lander - it's the same technology as the successful Phoenix lander - but it's mainly going to find out about the Mars interior. It will drill about 5 meters into the ground. It can't move, is fixed to one landing site. One other innovation, it will carry two cube sats to release into a flyby to help relay information about the landing itself.
InSight
Same year, ESA will send its ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter which is more sensitive to gases in the Mars atmosphere than anything sent there before, can also map them spatially and may for instance give us answers to the questions about methane plumes - where they originate, and how long they last. Also many other trace gases in the Mars atmosphere. It will also send a demo lander preparatory for Exomars but it isn't designed to last long on the surface. Main focus is to prove they can land successfully.
In 2018, India plans to launch an orbiter and lander + rover to Mars, but at an early stage of planning. Mars-2 Mission to Launch in 2018, Says Isro
In 2020 then NASA will send its successor to Curiosity. In some ways more capable but in some ways less so. They have ditched SAM in order to make space for a canister to fill with samples from Mars that they hope some day will be returned to Earth for analysis. They also include Moxie which is of no use at all for search for life or study of Mars and is meant to demonstrate production of oxygen on Mars - the oxygen isn't used for anything, just discarded after it is made. I don't see the point in moxie myself, especially on a rover mission what's more - but those who are keen on humans to Mars are keen on it. It also will be one of the first missions to send a Raman spectrometer to Mars.
Same year ESA sends ExoMars which also has a Raman spectrometer - and it is designed to search for biosignatures. It's also designed to be able to drill up to two meters below the surface (the drilling ,as for Insight, is done by a self hammering robotic mole). The first attempt to drill below the surface in search for life.
Both of these are looking for past life on Mars.
Currently there are no future missions planned to search for present day life there. Any mission of that type would have to be thoroughly sterilized to be permitted to visit the special regions of Mars where habitats for present day life are thought to be possible (though not confirmed yet). There are ideas for missions of that type but nothing actually planned AFAIK. It's a challenge because of the need for sterilization and also some of the most interesting regions to look for life may be harder to access,- and the equatorial regions are easiest to access.
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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