Europe’s joint Mars mission with Russia postponed by war

By FRANK JORDANS
Associated Press

BERLIN (AP) — The European Space Agency says the launch this year of a joint mission with Russia to Mars is now “very unlikely” due to sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine. The agency said Monday that it was assessing the consequences of sanctions for its cooperation with Russia’s Roscosmos space agency. The ExoMars launch was already postponed from 2020 due to the coronavirus outbreak and technical problems. It was due to launch on a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan in September. Meanwhile, NASA said Monday that it is operating the International Space Station with Russian support and input, as usual.