European Space Agency announces that it will cut off cooperation with Russia on Mars exploration mission 'ExoMars'
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The Martian exploration project that the European Space Agency (ESA) is working on with Russia's state-owned space company Roscosmos is ' ExoMars .' ESA Secretary Joseph Ashbacher has announced that 'the ESA Council has officially cut off its relationship with Roscosmos in ExoMars following the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine.'
On a different note, today @ESA Council addressed the ExoMars Rover and Surface Platform mission, acknowledging that the circumstances which led to the suspension of the cooperation with Roscosmos – the war in Ukraine and the resulting sanctions – continue to prevail.
— Josef Aschbacher (@AschbacherJosef) July 12, 2022
ESA terminates Russian cooperation with ExoMars rover --CNN
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/12/world/exomars-terminated-russia-european-space-agency-scn/index.html
Europe Aborts Joint Mars Mission With Russia --The Moscow Times
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/07/13/europe-aborts-joint-mars-mission-with-russia-a78284
ExoMars sends multiple exploration machines to Mars with the objectives of 'exploring traces of life on Mars,' 'identifying the scientific distribution of water and surface materials,' and 'identifying dangers in future manned exploration.' It's a plan. The plan itself was approved by the ESA Council in 2005, and NASA has participated since 2009, but in 2012 NASA announced its withdrawal from ExoMars.
ExoMars' Mars landing probe Kazachok was scheduled to be launched in 2018, but it was postponed to 2020 due to delays in development. It was just postponed again in 2022 due to the global pandemic of the new coronavirus.
by Kirill Borisenko
by Cmglee
However, following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United States and Europe imposed economic sanctions on Russia. Along with this, the ESA said, 'As an intergovernmental organization mandated to develop and implement a space program with full respect for European values, we have the human casualties and tragic consequences of the attack on Ukraine. 'I am deeply lamented,' he said, announcing that ExoMars will be suspended in March 2022.
The European Space Agency's Mars exploration mission 'ExoMars' has been suspended due to Russia's military invasion, and consideration of a partner to replace Russia is also being considered --GIGAZINE
'The ESA council has ordered the official termination of the suspended partnership with Roscosmos,' Ashbacher said on Twitter on July 12, 2022. As a result, both Kazachok and Rosalind Franklin will return to a blank slate in their launch plans.
'It is clear that geopolitically we need to break our ties with Russia, and this decision was made by ESA member states. We have been working on Mars exploration missions for 40 years,' Ashbacher told CNN. It's a real shame for all scientists and engineers, but there is no other choice. '
It is clear that this decision will cut off cooperation with Russia's Roscosmos, but it is unclear whether ExoMars itself is completely over. Secretary Ashbacher will announce details on Twitter at a media briefing on July 20, 2022.
As a consequence, Council mandated me to officially terminate the currently suspended cooperation with Roscosmos on the ExoMars Rover and Surface Platform mission.
— Josef Aschbacher (@AschbacherJosef) July 12, 2022
New insights on the way forward with other partners will come at a media briefing on 20 July, details to come.
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