The launch of the joint Russian and European ExoMars mission has been moved to 2020. The mission was initially planned for 2018.
Russia and Europe have decided to launch the second phase of their ExoMars mission in 2020 instead of 2018, according to Engadget. In March, the first part of the mission took off on time. The second phase of the ExoMars mission will launch a Martian rover that will be capable of drilling up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) below the surface.
ExoMars mission has been delayed because European Space Agency's engineers are challenged in putting together all the components and instruments ExoMars' second phase needs. At the same time, Roscosmos' engineers have been encountering difficulties in designing rover's landing mechanism, according to BBC.
Gizmodo reports that the head of ESA's Robotic Exploration Coordination Office, Rolf de Groot, explained that his team has tried to evaluate whether it is still possible to make the 2018 launch. The scientists and engineers were analyzing if it is acceptable from a risk point of view to shorten the assembly, integration and testing (AIT) phase.
However, according to de Groot, his team has come to the conclusion that this is not achievable without adding an unacceptable amount of additional risk to the mission. In these circumstances, they decided that it would be necessary to move the 2020 launch date.
The statement released by the European Space Agency (ESA) said that they have been assessing the situation and took into account the delays in Russian and European industrial activities and deliveries of the scientific payload. In these circumstances, the best solution remains a launch in 2020.
Due to the lack of a proper budget, the ExoMars project has been going through difficulties even from the start. At one time, the ESA even teamed up with NASA. Their collaboration ended when the two agencies found themselves with different priorities.
