The European Space Agency (ESA) has announced that the ExoMars mission “Rosalind Franklin” rover to Mars is technically ready for launch. But there is a not insignificant problem: how to get to the neighboring planet.
Following the cessation of Europe ‘s cooperation with Russian space agency Roscosmos Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, another alternative to the launch should be sought, which will probably be delayed until 2028 or 2030, instead of being done this year by Russian means (rocket and landmine), as planned, by the Russian Cosmodrome in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
The European rover is the first with technical capabilities to look for traces of life on the neighboring planet thanks to its drill and portable laboratory. It is the first that can drill to a depth of up to two meters below the Martian surface.
The ExoMars mission was originally planned as a Europe-US partnership, but America withdrew in 2012 due to financial difficulties. ESA then turned to Russia and the mission became Euro-Russian, with Roscosmos contributing substantially on the one hand with a Proton rocket and on the other hand with the Kazachok landing platform, while Russian scientists had also developed some of the mission’s instruments. The mission, which was originally intended to be launched in 2018, was postponed for 2020 and then again – due to technical problems – for 2022.
But after the postponement and this year’s launch, the rover and other equipment worth the billion euro ExoMars mission are being prepared for storage at the premises of the French-Italian aerospace company Thales Alenia Space in Italy, until the situation is clarified. ESA has already begun considering alternatives, looking for the earliest possible launch date, either alone or with other international cooperation after the end of Euro-Russian.
There remains little chance of restoring Euro-Russian relations in time for ExoMars to launch in 2024. The next “launch window” is 2026 and could only be exploited if the US Space Agency (NASA) extended a helping hand. Relevant discussions are already taking place between ESA-NASA. What is certain is that the latter is not willing to finance the construction of a new akato landing on Mars.
It seems more likely that Europe will have to build it on its own to anticipate the next “windows” of opportunity for launch in 2028 or 2030 (Earth and Mars orbits close every two years or so, opening a “window” for launch ). As for the right rocket, ESA is “betting” on the new Ariane 6, which is in the final stages of development and will probably be ready to fly by the end of 2022.
“I hope that our Member States will decide that this is not the end of ExoMars, but rather the rebirth of the mission and that it may serve as a catalyst for more European autonomy (in space),” said David Parker, director of human and robotics ESA exploration.
“ESA Director-General Josef Asbacher underlined the Agency ‘s determination not to allow the tragic events in Ukraine to derail the European space program, which also concerns the launching of satellites from the European spacecraft into the Kouros of French Guiana after the Russian Guiana Soyuz “who helped the European Ariane and Vega missiles.
ESA, meanwhile, has pledged to develop another rover and another spacecraft orbiting Mars, aiming to launch in 2027 as part of its partnership with NASA to bring the first rock samples from Earth to Earth. “red” planet, which will have been collected from the American rovers that are there. The challenge is great and the ESA board will have to make final decisions by the end of the year.
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