No European Mars mission this year because of the war in Ukraine
- The European Space Agency confirmed that it’s indefinitely suspending its ExoMars rover mission with partner Roscosmos, Russia’s state space corporation
- The mission was already delayed from 2020 because of Covid-19, and as Mars is only readily reachable from Earth every two years, the next launch window is 2024
Because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Europe will no longer be attempting this year to send its first rover to Mars, which was to have probed whether the planet ever hosted life.
The European Space Agency confirmed Thursday that it’s indefinitely suspending its ExoMars rover mission with partner Roscosmos, Russia’s state space corporation.
The ESA had previously said that the mission was “very unlikely” because of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The decision to suspend cooperation with Roscosmos was taken by ESA’s ruling council at a meeting this week in Paris.
“We deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine,” an ESA statement said. “While recognising the impact on scientific exploration of space, ESA is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its member states.”
02:14
New images of Mars sent back by China’s Tianwen-1 orbiter
Because of their respective orbits around the Sun, Mars is only readily reachable from Earth every two years. The next launch window would be 2024. The rover’s primary mission was to have been determining whether Mars ever hosted life.