ESA kicks ExoMars rover can down the road, to 2026 at best

Cooperation with Roscosmos on the rover and surface platform was terminated following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The plan had been to launch in 2018. This was then pushed back to 2020 and again to 2022 as engineers dealt with issues including problems with the parachutes. Eventually a launch date at the end of September 2022 was selected and all seemed well… until the invasion.understands 2028 is looking more likely.

Observers had hoped that ESA might drop some hints during the now-cancelled briefing on how one would get the rover to Mars without the Russian technology. A rocket with sufficient heft would be required, potentially meaning a Falcon Heavy or perhaps an Ariane 6 And then there is the question of how one would land the rover. With the Roscosmos technology apparently not an option perhaps NASA could whisk up another of the Sky Crane contraptions that successfully lowered the Curiosity and Perseverance rovers to the Martian surface. One ESA insider has suggested tothat some form of cage might be used, but whatever the approach, it is difficult to imagine some form of rework not being needed.

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