European Space Agency suspends €1bn Red Planet Rover in wake of Russian invasion

In the wake of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, ESA’s ruling Council, meeting in Paris on 16-17 March, unanimously acknowledged the present impossibility of carrying out the ongoing cooperation with Roscosmos on the ExoMars rover mission with a launch in 2022. 

The rover, named Rosalind Franklin after the British scientist and co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, was assembled in the UK and is a joint endeavour between ESA and Russia’s Roscosmos space agency. It was set to be launched on a Russian rocket and travel to Mars on a German-built spacecraft, before being shepherded to the surface by a Russian landing mechanism. 

Rosalind Franklin is the second of two missions forming the ExoMars programme. The first part is Trace Gas Orbiter, a satellite launched in 2016 to study the Red Planet’s atmosphere and act as a telecommunications relay for the Rosalind Franklin rover. Meanwhile, Rosalind Franklin was supposed to drill 2m into the surface of Mars to look for signs of life.

Space transportation

Following the decision by Roscosmos to withdraw their personnel from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, ESA has also put on hold all five missions scheduled for launch by Soyuz. These included four institutional missions for which ESA is the launch service procurement entity (Galileo M10, Galileo M11, Euclid and EarthCare) and one additional institutional launch.

Consequently, the ESA Director General has initiated an assessment on potential alternative launch services for these missions, which will include a review of the Ariane 6 first exploitation flights. A robust launch manifest for ESA missions’ launch needs, including for spacecraft originally planned for launch by Soyuz from Kourou, will be submitted to Member States.   

And what about the International Space Station? 

However, ESA has announced that "the International Space Station Programme continues to operate nominally".

The International Space Station was launched in 1998 as a cooperative programme between Europe, Russia, Japan, Canada and the United States. The multi-national  project is the largest single structure that humans have ever put into space. It is now the only space project collaboration linking the Russian and European space agencies.

"The main goal is to continue safe operations of the ISS, including maintaining the safety of the crew," ESA stated. 

What’s next?

The ESA is now taking steps to suspend the cooperation activities and has authorised the ESA Director General to carry out a fast-track feasibility study to look for other means of implementing the ExoMars mission without Russian input.

“As an intergovernmental organisation mandated to develop and implement space programmes in full respect with European values, we deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine. While recognising the impact on scientific exploration of space, ESA is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its Member States,” ESA concluded.