ExoMars represented a space mission to send another rover to Mars in order to search for signs of past alien life on the planet. Two space agencies were collaborating and preparing to make the launch possible: the European Space Agency (ESA) and Roscosmos from Russia.
Unsurprisingly considering the latest events that we all know, the ESA announced through its official website that it’s giving up the launch of the ExoMars program.
The space agency began its article by writing:
As an intergovernmental organisation mandated to develop and implement space programmes in full respect with European values, we deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine. While recognising the impact on scientific exploration of space, ESA is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its Member States.
Josef Aschbacher, the Director-General of the European Space Agency, revealed an important message via Twitter:
Over the past two days, our Member States discussed the impact of the war in Ukraine on ESA’s space programmes. Together, we took a tough – but necessary – decision to suspend the launch of ExoMars foreseen for September with Roscosmos, and to study options for a way forward. https://t.co/BNVODRDMql
— Josef Aschbacher (@AschbacherJosef) March 17, 2022
The biggest goal regarding the Red Planet is to send humans there one day, and it’s understandable. Earth doesn’t have enough resources to feed us all forever, and finding another home will become practically mandatory.
Some scientists are even optimistic that humanity can indeed terraform Mars. One of them is Jim Green from NASA, a scientist who believes that humanity can terraform both the Red Planet and Venus one day. Terraforming Venus surely sounds more improbable considering the scorching heat temperatures and other hostile conditions from our neighboring planet, but who knows, science always seems to reach new heights.
Otherwise, we can realistically hope that space agencies will continue to explore Mars in one way or another. The Red Planet shows great potential for hosting life at some point in the future and maybe with the help of some scientific tweaks. Sending rovers there is crucial, and NASA continues to hope that it will even send astronauts until the end of the decade.
