BERLIN – Space Agency Europe (ESA) officially terminated cooperation with the Russian Federal Space Agency ( Roscosmos ) in the Mars exploration mission often called the ExoMars program. The ESA suspended Russia’s participation in the rover mission after Russia invaded Ukraine in late February 2022.
As originally planned, the rover named Rosalind Franklin will be launched on a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan run by Roscosmos and the Russian military. Rosalind Franklin was also supposed to land with, and was deployed from, a Russian-made lander called Kazachok.
The head of ESA Josef Aschbacher announced this suspension could be increased to a termination of cooperation. Moreover, the development of the Russia-Ukraine war is getting worse and has resulted in a series of economic sanctions against Moscow.
“As a consequence, the Board mandated me to formally end the currently suspended collaboration with Roscosmos on the ExoMars Rover and Surface Platform missions. New insights on future travel with other partners will be explained in detail at the press conference on July 20, 2022,” said Josef Aschbacher as quoted by SINDOnews from the Space.com page, Thursday (14/7/2022).
This decision has major implications for missions exploring the Red planet, for example the Rosalind Franklin rover, which had been scheduled for launch this September, has been delayed. That’s because ESA must find a new rocket and landing platform for a takeoff that is likely to materialize before 2028. Adjust the positions of Mars and Earth when aligned properly for an interplanetary launch that occurs only once every 26 months.
Many other Russian space partnerships have been damaged or dissolved as a result of Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine. Russian rocket engines are no longer sold to American companies and French company Arianespace is no longer launching satellites into orbit using Russian-made Soyuz rockets.
Read also; Amid Russia-Ukraine War, NASA Seduces Roscosmos to Keep Collaborating on ISS
The ESA-Roscosmos partnership on the two-phase ExoMars program has been going on for a long time. The program’s first phase centers on the European Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Schiaparelli landing demonstrator, which was launched to the Red Planet aboard a Russian Proton rocket from Baikonur in March 2016.
TGO managed to reach Mars orbit safely and continues to study the planet today. Schiaparelli, aiming to prove landing technology before the arrival of the ExoMars rover, crashed during its landing attempt in October 2016.
(Web)
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