Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the European Space Agency (ESA) decided to discontinue its collaboration with Russia. ESA is withdrawing from three Russian robotic missions to the Moon and canceling its involvement in the ExoMars mission and relying on NASA and private partners to send ESA hardware to the lunar surface.
According to Space Policy Online, ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher made the statement during a meeting of the ESA Council, the 22-member international organization's governing body.
"Following the Russian aggression against Ukraine, ESA's Director General has initiated a comprehensive review of all activities currently undertaken in cooperation with Russia and Ukraine," a statement from the ESA said.
ESA added: "The objective is to determine the possible consequences of this new geopolitical context for ESA programs and activities and to create a more resilient and robust space infrastructure for Europe."
Artist’s impression of the Rosalind Franklin ExoMars rover. This image shows a front view of the rover with the drill in a vertical position.
ESA Stops Working With Russia On Moon Explorations
The European Space Agency's decision to discontinue working with Russia on lunar missions is effective immediately. NASA has ordered that the Luna 25 mission's Pilot D landing camera be removed before it launches later this year.
Hence, ExoMars Rover mission, which was ready for flight and was set to launch in September, will now be canceled.
ESA added that Russia's aggression against Ukraine and the resulting sanctions represent a fundamental change of circumstances that make it impossible for ESA to implement the planned lunar cooperation.
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ESA's director-general Josef Aschbacher said at an online news conference on Wednesday per Space.com that he has already informed the chairman of Roscosmos of his decision. Aschbacher also requested that Pilot D be placed in secure storage until it could be transferred to ESA,"
David Parker, the ESA's director of human and robotic exploration, emphasized that the instrument's removal will have no impact on Russia's ability to complete the mission.
ESA has also been collaborating with Russia on the Luna 26 and Luna 27 follow-up lunar missions. Both projects have been on hold.
The Luna 27 rover, due in 2025, was supposed to include a subsurface drill and an optical navigation system constructed in Europe that relied on artificially intelligent picture processing to get samples of lunar soil from depths of up to 3 feet (1 meter).
According to Aschbacher, the European Space Agency is already considering options for delivering these technologies to the Moon.
Aschbacher said the drill would go to the Moon with NASA as part of the American agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.
Meanwhile, ESA said per Business Insider that a fast-track study is also underway, led by Thales Alenia Space of Italy, to explore possibilities for the future.
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