Europeans in the Martian mission ExoMars-2022, implemented by Roscosmos and ESA, can be replaced by the Chinese

The joint work of Roscosmos and the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of the ExoMars-2022 Martian mission scandalously ended in mid-March: on March 17, the ESA ruling council declared it impossible to continue cooperation. After that, the head of the state agency, Dmitry Rogozin, said that Russia was able to implement the project itself, although he later noted that Roscosmos needed an investor who could “enter the mission with money and scientific equipment.” Who can replace the Europeans in the project?

According to Dmitry Rogozin, it could be the Chinese or the Persian Gulf. “I do not rule out that another partner will appear instead of the Europeans. It could be a Gulf country, for example, or China.”Rogozin said.

The ExoMars station consists of a European flight module and a Russian descent module. The latter includes the Russian landing platform Kazachok and the European rover Rosalind Franklin. At the moment, Roskosmos is preparing to send a copy of the landing platform to Mars, since the already finished Kazachok is now in Europe, and there is no way to return it from there.

As for the rover, which was also ready and waiting to be transported to the launch pad, it will go to Thales Alenia Space in Italy for storage until further notice. ESA director of manned and robotic flights, David Parker, expressed hope for the continuation of the ExoMars mission in the future, but, obviously, without Russian participation. “I hope that partner countries [ESA] will decide not to abandon ExoMars, but to let it be reborn, which may serve as an impetus for Europe to achieve autonomy”– he said.