spacetoday.net: ESA says "very unlikely" ExoMars mission to launch on Russian rocket

ESA says "very unlikely" ExoMars mission to launch on Russian rocket

Posted: Sat, Mar 5, 2022, 11:28 AM ET (1628 GMT)
ExoMars 2020 rover (ESA)

ESA said Monday that it is "very unlikely" it will launch its ExoMars mission on a Russian rocket this year. The agency said sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine "and the wider context" made it unlikely it would proceed with the launch, scheduled for late September on a Proton rocket, with a formal decision to be prepared by ESA's director general. ESA did not disclose what alternative plans it had for the mission, which will place the Rosalind Franklin rover on Mars. Russia was providing the launch and a landing platform for the rover, which may need to be replaced if ESA elects to launch the mission on another rocket.