spacetoday.net: Europe and Russia sign ExoMars accord

Posted: Fri, Mar 15, 2013, 2:13 PM ET (1813 GMT)
ExoMars rover illustration (ESA)

The European Space Agency and Roscosmos formally signed an agreement Thursday to cooperate on two missions to Mars late this decade. Under the agreement for the ExoMars program, ESA will provide an orbiter and a technology demonstration lander that Russia will launch in 2016; in 2018, Russia will launch a European-built rover incorporated into a Russian descent module and surface platform. Proton rockets will be used for both missions. The two space agencies agreed to cooperate on ExoMars last year after NASA announced it could no longer support previously planned cooperation with ESA on the missions. Thursday's agreement formalizes those plans for ESA-Roscosmos cooperation.