Europe delays ExoMars mission, again

The European Space Agency says it's delaying its unmanned mission to Mars until 2016 and may seek help from Russia and the United States.

By Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team · Editorial process

Published October 17, 2008

The European Space Agency says it's delaying its unmanned mission to Mars until 2016 and may seek help from Russia and the United States.

It is the second big delay for the ExoMars Rover — Europe's flagship space mission, the BBC reported Saturday, noting the launch already had been pushed back from 2011 to 2013 because of difficulties with the early stages of the mission's design.

European governments have asked the Space Agency to find ways to reduce the $1.6 billion project, including seeking financial and technical help from Russia and the United States, said agency spokesman Franco Boncina.

"This way we could retain the full splendor of the mission and not reduce its scientific capability," said Bonacina.

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Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team

The Nuclear Power Daily Editorial Team produces content across our two editorial pillars: space industry news and Mind & Meaning. We cover launches, missions, satellites, defense, and the technology of getting humans to space, alongside the psychology of ambition, isolation, and meaning under extremes. Articles reflect our team's collective editorial process, source verification, drafting, technical review, and editing, rather than a single writer's work. Nuclear Power Daily takes editorial responsibility for content under this byline. For more on how we work, see our editorial policy.