The war in Ukraine disrupted the partnership between Russia and the European Space Agency on the ExoMars mission. Two Russian scientific instruments are returned. An alternative is being evaluated.
We don’t yet know what the ExoMars mission to the Red Planet will take, but we now know when. At the bend of a common waypoint in mid-March, the European Space Agency (ESA) provided an estimated timetable for the departure of its rover: October 2028. This is, in a sense, the mission’s “rebirth” after a year of uncertainty.
The ExoMars rover will amputate two instruments
A rebirth as well as a transformation. ESA has revealed some details about the Rosalind Franklin rover, named in honor of a scientist who first discovered the helical structure of DNA. Therefore, all Russian components are dismantled from the machine and returned to the institutes that developed them. Two Russian instruments are attacked.
This withdrawal of equipment is a direct result of the war in Ukraine that Russia started – Moscow was a key partner in the ExoMars 2022 mission. But on February 24, everything was upset with the invasion. Incidentally, this deprived Europe of Russia’s launch capabilities. Today it is impossible to work with Roscosmos, ESA’s counterpart.
The return of the two Russian components to their owners (Adron neutron detector and ISEM infrared spectrometer) is partially fulfilled – if the neutron spectrometer is not replaced, the infrared spectrometer has a chance. The European Space Agency is working on it, with a solution coming from its member states.
Departing in 2028 for an arrival on Mars in 2030, ExoMars will then be ten years too late – originally scheduled to depart in 2018 to arrive in 2020, hence the nickname ExoMars 2020. The material on site is sent, does not take the risk of being stricken by obsolescence in seven years? In other words, will it be necessary to modify the rover beyond replacing the two Russian instruments?
Esa isn’t worried: “Technologies[…] will remain relevant to existing and planned “competition” on Mars”. In addition, the Esa claims to be the only one so far that has taken up the challenge of digging two meters deep. However, the Esa will evolve with the obsolescence of parts until the mission’s return to its launch pad in five years.
An acquisition window for Mars every two years
One question remains: why so late? First, there are concerns for celestial mechanics: “The best opportunities for a launch to Mars occur every two years, when Earth and Mars are optimally aligned,” Esa points out. We do not depart for this near-Earth planet at any time if we want to optimize flight and fuel.
When the ExoMars mission was first postponed, the calendar slipped from 2020 to 2022. The flight was supposed to be one of the great moments of space conquest last year.
This leads to the second problem: Europe has no immediate alternative to compensate for the lack of the Russian rocket (Proton) or the atmospheric re-entry and descent vehicle, also provided by the former partner. Impossible to look back quickly to 2024, which was the next window. It’s way too early.
Then there was 2026 or 2028. Josef Aschbacher, head of the European Space Agency, described the first date as “very difficult”. The second was therefore preferred. This is the “earliest” starting opportunity. “This allows the time needed to set up the mission elements to be balanced with a good landing scenario in 2030,” says ESA.
Last unanswered question: Which launch vehicle will be responsible for delivering everything to Mars?
To compensate for the departure of the Russians, support from the USA via the American space agency Nasa and private service providers – SpaceX or the United Launch Alliance (ULA) – is planned. However, the presence of sensitive American components banned for transfer – radioisotope heating elements – would, at first glance, prevent reliance on Ariane 6.
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Explore the Red Planet with the Mars 2020 mission