ExoMars 2022

In News

• Recently, the European Space Agency (ESA) deferred the launch of ExoMars 2022 after the agency suspended all cooperation with Russia’s space program Roscosmos.

About

• Aim: 
  • To study past life on Mars.
• Collaboration of: 
  • Roscosmos and the European Space Agency (ESA)
• Origin:
  • ESA and NASA were the original ExoMars collaborators, but NASA dropped out in 2012 due to budgeting problems. 
  • Russia took NASA’s place in the project in 2013.
• A two-stage mission:
  • Trace Gas Orbiter and a Lander – Launched in 2016 using Russian-made Proton-M rocket, but the lander crashed. 
  • Consists of a rover and surface platform – awaiting confirmation for launch.

• Objectives:
  • To land the rover at a site with high potential for finding well-preserved organic material, particularly from the very early history of the planet.
  • Rover will collect samples with a drill down to a depth of 2 m and analyse them with next-generation instruments in an onboard laboratory. 
• Reason for Suspension:
  • The sanctions brought against Russia and the wider context of the Ukraine conflict made a 2022 launch “very unlikely.”
• Russia’s Response:
  • Russia responded to ESA’s decision by saying it would go to Mars independently.
• Issue: Dependence on Russia

• The mission uses a number of Russian-made components — including the rockets. 
• Many components of the mission’s rover are also Russian-made. 
• That includes radioisotope heaters that are used to keep the rover warm at night on the surface of Mars.

Source: IE