No European mission to Mars this year due to Russian invasion of Ukraine

A planned European mission to Mars is canceled due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The European Space Agency reports that ESA† After the first Mars mission in 2016, the agency had planned to set up the second part of the ExoMars program this year with the Russian space agency Roscosmos. But according to the ESA, this is no longer possible, both practically and politically.

This year, the Mars rover Rosalind Franklin land on Mars. The rover should then travel a few kilometers across the Martian surface, looking for signs of life. It is unclear when the mission will continue.

At the end of last month, the ESA had already discussed the postponement of the launch and now it is final. The director of the European Space Agency is looking for other organizations to collaborate on the project.

Dropped to the ground

The first part of the ExoMars program was conducted in 2016. A scientific satellite was placed in orbit around Mars. This part of the mission has been accomplished.

Together with the satellite, the landing module Schiaparelli launched. He was supposed to search for signs of life on the red planet, but it didn’t go as planned.

When the landing module’s parachute had to open, 11 kilometers above the Martian surface, contact with the Earth was broken. ESA announced that the parachute had malfunctioned, causing the Schiaparelli probably fell apart.