The joint mission between Russia and Europe to visit Mars is predicted to be delayed due to various sanctions embargoes imposed on Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine.
The mission, called ExoMars, aims to send robots to Mars and explore the surface of the Red Planet. ExoMars is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos, the European and Russian space agencies, which have been working together for the past decade.
As part of that initiative, ESA and Roscosmos have already started the first phase of the mission in 2016. That is sending a spacecraft into Mars orbit to examine its atmosphere, as well as testing the lander to find out what capabilities are needed to land on Mars.
The first phase of the mission was successful in examining the atmosphere of Mars in orbit, but the lander crashed due to a software problem, we quoted from The Verge, Friday (4/3/2022).
However, ESA and Roscosmos continued the mission to phase two, namely working on a Mars rover named Rosalind Franklin. The rover was originally slated to finish development in the summer of 2022, but now the ESA has doubts about that plan.
"Regarding the continuation of the ExoMars program, sanctions and the wider context for a launch in 2022 are almost impossible. The Director General of ESA will analyze the available options and prepare a formal decision that will be submitted to ESA Member States," ESA wrote in a statement on its official website.
Both the ESA and Roscosmos have an important role in the rover's mission. The Rosalind Franklin rover, built and tested by ESA, is designed to drill into the surface of Mars and look for signs of life.
Meanwhile Russia is developing a way to land the rover on the surface of Mars, namely the Kazachok lander. The mission will also fly using a Russian Proton rocket.
Just like the United States, the European Union has indeed announced a number of sanctions against Russia due to its invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions cover the financial, energy, transportation, technology, and visa policies.