The European Space Agency and Russia have suspended their joint project, which was due to launch a robotic rover in September. The launch was canceled because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The current circumstances and the sanctions imposed by our member states made it impossible to launch.
The Mars rover was assembled in the UK for a planned launch. It would have been shepherded to the surface by a Russian lander after travelling to Mars. The rover will be put in storage.
A replica of the rover is going for a test drive.
The decision is a blow to Europe's space programme. The next launch window, based on the alignment of the Earth and Mars, will be in 2024, but the technical and political issues may take longer than that.
A feasibility study has been commissioned by the Esa to figure out how to get ExoMars off the ground. Aschbacher said that the US agency had expressed a willingness to support the mission.
The second stage of the European-Russian mission is called Rosalind Franklin. The first part, a satellite called the Trace Gas Orbiter, was launched in 2016 and is studying the planet's atmosphere. When the rover arrived, it was supposed to act as a telecommunications relay.
The goal of the rover was to look for signs of life on Mars. The rover should be viable for several years in storage because there are no comparable missions in the next decade. Keeping the mission alive is likely to add a lot to the price.
The Esa said on Thursday that five satellite missions that were supposed to be launched by Soyuz had been canceled.
The situation aboard the International Space Station remained stable, according to Aschbacher. He said that they are doing well and doing their operations as planned.
One of Nasa's astronauts will ride back from the International Space Station with two other people in a Russian capsule later this month.
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