ESA remains committed to ExoMars rover despite delays

Despite issues that forced them to delay the launch of a robotic rover until 2020, officials at the European Space Agency (ESA) told BBC News that they remain committed to the ongoing, two-part ExoMars mission and have committed additional funds to the project.

The first part of the ESA- Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) program, the launch of the ExoMars 2016 mission that included both the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) and the Schiaparelli lander, has already successfully launched and is expected to arrive at Mars this October.

However, it was determined in May that the second part of the mission, which will involve a Russian launch vehicle and lander and a European carrier module and rover, would not meet its intended 2018 launch target. The launch window had to be pushed back until July 2020, a move which left many to speculate that the rover may never actually reach the Red Planet.

During a meeting in Paris this week, however, the principles involved with the ExoMars mission decided to draw up a new project schedule, according to BBC News. They also pledged an extra $83 million (€77m/£59m) to continue development on the ExoMars vehicles until they can find a long-term solution to the program’s ongoing funding issues.

Revised schedule will put ExoMars on target for a 2020 launch

The goal, ESA agency’s director of human spaceflight and robotic exploration Dr. David Parker told the UK news outlet, is to have all of the scheduling and funding issues resolved by prior to a December meeting of ministers, and to work to ensure that they reach their new 2020 target.

“The challenges were set out to member states, and… they were asked the fundamental questions: how important is this project; do you want to continue?” he noted. “The very, very clear message came back that this remains a high priority for scientific and technological reasons.”

The rover, which was initially approved as a concept more than a decade ago, will be designed to drill up to two meters (around 6.5 feet) into the surface of Mars to hunt for evidence of biological life. Teams have repeatedly missed deadlines, however, including a hardware delay which forced this most recent postponement.

“The first critical step has been to re-establish a realistic technical schedule and contingency, both on the European side and with Russian colleagues at Roscosmos [Russia’s space agency] and their contractor Lavochkin. That’s very good news,” Dr. Parker said.

Cash flow injection will help, but funding issues remain

ExoMars is also over budget, with the price tag for the rover and satellite expected to cost about €1.56 billion ($1.76b/£1.24b) instead of the original €1.25 billion ($1.41b/€0.99b) originally set back in 2012. ESA member states France, Germany, Italy and the UK have committed additional funds to ensure that scientists and engineers can continue their work.

However, the BBC explained that this is only a temporary solution while the overall financial uncertainty over the project is addressed. Dr. Parker declined the media outlet’s request to go into detail about the funding shortfall, citing sensitive and ongoing negotiations over the final manufacturing prices with unidentified parties.

“There will now be a set of steps to demonstrate progress on the rover mission, and we will propose to member states thereafter a complete financial package to finish the job for when they meet in Lucerne (at the Council of Ministers) in December,” he told BBC News.

“These will be subscriptions within the exploration program,” Dr. Parker added. “In the meantime, it’s full speed ahead on the technical side and I have to say, from what I’ve seen, the teams are working very hard; they’re very dedicated. All the trips they make back and forth to Russia and to speak with their suppliers – it’s an impressive machine.”

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Image credit: ESA/ExoMars Team

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