01/03/2022 (Agence Europe) – In a statement issued on Monday 28 February, the European Space Agency (ESA) said that given the general climate and Western sanctions against Russia, the launch of the ExoMars rover in 2022 was now “highly unlikely”. Cooperation with the Russian agency Roskosmos on this project is therefore suspended. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher will analyse all the available options and will prepare a formal decision on the way forward for ESA Member States, the institution said. The launch of the rover, which is predominantly a Russo-European project, has been postponed several times in recent years, mainly due to technical problems. The next launch window would be the end of 2024, according to the specialist website SpaceNews. (PH)