The European Space Agency, ESA, has unanimously decided to suspend the joint mission to Mars with Russia. The mission was originally scheduled to launch to the Red Planet later this year, but has now been postponed indefinitely.
On Thursday (17/3), the ESA Council said that due to the tragedies that have occurred in Ukraine since the Russian invasion on February 24, the agency can no longer carry out ongoing cooperation with the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos on the ExoMars rover mission at launch in 2022.
"As an intergovernmental organization mandated to develop and implement a space program with full respect for European values, we deeply regret the loss of life and the tragic consequences of this aggression against Ukraine," the ESA said in a statement.
"While acknowledging the impact (of Russia's aggression against Ukraine) on the scientific exploration of space, the ESA is fully in line with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its member states," the ESA continued.
In this collaboration, Russia is developing a surface platform as well as the Proton rocket, a throwable launch system that is slated to carry ExoMars stuff to Mars. In addition, the rover robot itself includes Russian instruments and a radioisotope heating unit supplied by Russia.
The fate of the mission to Mars
Is this the end of the ExoMars mission? The fate of the mission to Mars is so far unknown. But ESA officials are looking for alternative partners.
NASA is one option, said ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher. About a decade ago, ESA had planned to work on a mission with NASA, but the US space agency withdrew from the program.
In addition, ESA said that Aschbacher should start industrial studies to find alternative ways to launch ExoMars and deploy a European-made rover named Rosalind Franklin.
"What we really need to do is look at these options. The choice is Europe alone or Europe with other partners," Aschbacher said.
ExoMars is carrying a research mission that will answer the question of whether there was ever life on Mars. The payload-carrying rocket was originally scheduled to launch from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, over a 12-day period starting September 20, 2022, with an expected landing on Mars on June 10, 2023.
After landing on Mars, the rover will move across the surface, drill to a depth of 2 meters, collect samples and then analyze them with instruments in the onboard laboratory.
"Because the Martian atmosphere offers little protection from radiation and a chemical reaction called oxidation, underground samples are the most likely to reveal organic compounds," the ESA said.