Mary Wilson
Well-known member
Issued on: 18/03/2022 - 01:01
Text by: NEWS WIRES
A Russian-European mission to land a rover on Mars has been suspended due to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Space Agency announced Thursday, as Moscow said it regretted the “bitter” decision.
The ExoMars mission had been set to use a Russian launcher later this year to send a European rover to drill for signs of life on the Red Planet.
However, the ESA said the war in Ukraine and sanctions against Moscow had forced it to cease cooperation with Russia and look for another way to launch ExoMars and four other missions using Russian rockets.
“We deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine,” the agency said in a statement.
“While recognising the impact on scientific exploration of space, ESA is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia.”
The head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, called the decision a “shame”.
“This is a very bitter (decision) for all the enthusiasts of space,” Rogozin said on Telegram.
He said the project “would lose several years” but that Russia would “conduct this research expedition on our own”.
He added it would be done “without any ‘European friends’ with their tails tucked because of American shouting.” ...
https://www.france24.com/en/diploma...gency-suspends-joint-mars-mission-with-russia
Text by: NEWS WIRES
A Russian-European mission to land a rover on Mars has been suspended due to the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine, the European Space Agency announced Thursday, as Moscow said it regretted the “bitter” decision.
The ExoMars mission had been set to use a Russian launcher later this year to send a European rover to drill for signs of life on the Red Planet.
However, the ESA said the war in Ukraine and sanctions against Moscow had forced it to cease cooperation with Russia and look for another way to launch ExoMars and four other missions using Russian rockets.
“We deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine,” the agency said in a statement.
“While recognising the impact on scientific exploration of space, ESA is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia.”
The head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, Dmitry Rogozin, called the decision a “shame”.
“This is a very bitter (decision) for all the enthusiasts of space,” Rogozin said on Telegram.
He said the project “would lose several years” but that Russia would “conduct this research expedition on our own”.
He added it would be done “without any ‘European friends’ with their tails tucked because of American shouting.” ...
https://www.france24.com/en/diploma...gency-suspends-joint-mars-mission-with-russia
