The Rosalind Franklin scouter , a collaborative labor between the European Space Agency ( ESA ) and Roscosmos , the Russian opposite number , is unlikely to be launched this twelvemonth . The post was announced by ESA on February 28 .

“ We are in full implementing authorization imposed on Russia by our Member States . We are assess the consequence on each of our ongoing plan conducted in cooperation with the Russian state blank agency Roscosmos and ordinate our determination to the decisions of our Member States in tightlipped coordination with industrial and outside partners ( in special with NASA on the International Space Station ) , ” the ESAstatementreads .

“ Regarding the ExoMars computer programme continuation , the authorization and the wider context of use make a launching in 2022 very unconvincing . ESA ’s Director General will analyze all the options and set a stately decision on the way forward by ESA Member States . ”

The Franklin rover is part of ExoMars : the second - largest collaboration between ESA and Roscosmos after their share in the International Space Station ( ISS ) . The music director of Roscomos , Dmitry Rogozin , threatened the end of the ISSlast week following the countenance .

Roscosmos has already pulled the Soyuz launch drive from the European spaceport of Kourou , in French Guyana , and seclude its workforce . The rover was or else supposed to launch from Baikonur , on September 20 on a Russian Proton - M rocket . It was also supposed to use a lander of Russian intent , called Kazachok , so the Russian quislingism was paramount to the well timed launching of this mission .

The scouter is named after the English Chemist Rosalind Franklin , whose extraordinary x - ray of light observation were crucial to the find of DNA . The Franklin rover ’s commission is to look for grounds of life on the Red Planet .

The best way to get to Mars is to clock time it good . There are specific launch windows that allow spending the least amount of energy to send something to Mars . This is why China , the US , and the United Arab Emirates , all launched Mars delegation in July 2020 . The Franklin Rover was supposed to found then butit was delayed . If it is not plunge in September it will have to await around two years .

Launch windows to Mars iterate every 780 daylight , so late fall in 2024 will be the next worthy windowpane for beam the scouter to the Red Planet .