Roscosmos, the Russian space agency and ESA were working together on a mission involving the European ExoMars rover, designed to look for signs of life on Mars. The rover’s September 2022 launch was initially postponed in March, just weeks after Russia invaded Ukraine. Now, the ESA Board has officially severed ties with Roscosmos for this joint project as a result of the war in Ukraine and ongoing sanctions, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher tweeted on Tuesday. There will be more details on the mission’s future on July 20, he said. ESA has considered working more closely with NASA moving forward since it became clear the agency needed to “sever” its ties with Russia, Aschbacher said. it’s been done by the member states,” Aschbacher previously told CNN. “Well, yes, it’s really unfortunate for all the science and technology and engineers that have been working on this for four decades. But there’s no other choice.” The rover was originally scheduled to launch in July 2020, but the pandemic pushed back the launch window. ExoMars is also known as Rosalind Franklin, a respected scientist who helped decipher the molecular structure of DNA, according to ESA. Part of the rover’s mission involves drilling holes up to 6.6 feet (2 meters) deep to collect samples for on-board analysis. ExoMars is expected to travel many kilometers during its mission and is capable of traveling between 164 and 328 feet (50 and 100 meters) per Martian day, which is just under an hour longer than Earth’s 24 hours. according to NASA. CNN’s Sugam Pokharel, Amy Cassidy and Katie Hunt contributed to this article.
