Following its Council meeting, the European Space Agency (ESA) took several decisions following the end of space cooperation with Russia. The most awaited, concerned the fate of the mission ExoMars 2022 which provided for the launch of a rover in September, aboard a launcher Russian Proton.
Unsurprisingly, and to comply with the sanctions taken against Russiathe Council decided to postpone its launch and to initiate a study to find alternatives to what the Russians were to provide within the framework of this partnership which, it should be remembered, also included ExoMarch 2016. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, said he regretted this decision and underlined, with some confidence, that Russia could carry out this mission on its own within a few years…
ESA Council meeting, held on 16 and 17 March 2022 in Paris – media briefing. © ESA
The very, very uncertain 2024 shooting window
The launch date is therefore postponed and ExoMars new version could take off only in 2026, or even 2028. Indeed, it is unlikely that Thales Alenia Space, project manager program, and its industrial partners, including Airbus, are able to replace Russian equipment, including the landing pad and the software flight in just under two years.
At the next Council, in four to five weeks, the European Space Agency should specify its wishes and the possible alternatives.
As for the other missions, which were to be launched by the Russian Soyuz, they are all suspended. These are two satellites intended for the constellation European Galileo localization mission, the Euclid scientific mission and the European-Japanese mission toearth observation EarthCARE.
We will keep you informed.
Mars: the fate of the ExoMars rover will be decided in a few days
Article of Remy Decourt published on 05/03/2022
Due to the geopolitical context, the sanctions of the European Union and the very strong deterioration of relations with Russia, the launch of the ExoMars mission, in which Russia is heavily involved, scheduled for September 2022 is made very unlikely. The European Space Agency should decide the fate of this mission and the alternatives available to it during its Council scheduled for March 15 and 16.
the way of the cross continues for the ExoMars mission. After ExoMars 2018, ExoMars 2020 then ExoMarch 2022, will the European Space Agency be forced to rename its flagship program again? 2024, or even much later if the ESA takes a radical decision!
If the postponement of 2018 was explained by delays in European and Russian industrial activities, as well as in the deliveries relating to the scientific payload, that of 2020 was due to elements related to the probe such as the parachutessolar panels, Russian electronic equipment and the development of flight software.
As the probe was due to take off in April to reach its launch site, the European Space Agency said on February 28 that due to sanctions imposed on Russia following the invasion of Ukraine, the launch in September 2022 seems very unlikely.
We deplore the tragic events taking place in Ukraine, a crisis which escalated dramatically into war in recent days. Many difficult decisions are now being taken at ESA in consideration of the sanctions implemented by the governments of our Member States.https://t.co/nOg8orZr1nhttps://t.co/5Mr6WexY9I
— Josef Aschbacher (@AschbacherJosef) February 28, 2022
The first large-scale cooperation between ESA and Roscosmos
To understand this statement, it is necessary to know that the ExoMars program is carried out in close collaboration with Russia which had in a way saved the program after the withdrawal of NASA. At the time, in 2012, the Russian Space Agency joined the program by providing the Proton launchers and scientific instruments for the 2016 and 2022 missions, as well as for the ExoMars 2022 rover, the Kazachok landing platform equipped with 13 scientific instruments which are not all Russian.
During its Council, scheduled for March 15 and 16, the European Space Agency should review the alternatives available to it as to the follow-up to be given to this program. If a two-year postponement is the least painful and least restrictive solution for the program, it seems unlikely to us that ESA will decide to “go it alone”. This is explained by the very high level of involvement and participation of the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos in the program. On March 16, we will be set on the fate of ExoMars.
Fortunately for ESA, all the elements of the probe are currently in the Turin factory of Thales Alenia Space. Imagine the diplomatic headache if ExoMars 2022 were in Russia!
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