The second ExoMars mission has been delayed to 2020, according to European Space Agency (ESA).
The launch, which had previously been slated for 2018, will now launch two years later due to "delays in European and Russian industrial activities". "Russian and European experts made their best efforts to meet the 2018 launch schedule for the mission, and in late 2015, a dedicated ESA-Roscosmos Tiger Team, also including Russian and European industries, initiated an analysis of all possible solutions to recover schedule delays and accommodate schedule contingencies," the ESA and Roscosmos said in a statement.
"Having assessed the possible ways to ensure successful mission implementation, we concluded that a launch in 2020 would be the best solution."
The teams say that "additional measures" will now be taken to ensure that the launch runs smoothly in 2020.
Two spacecraft have already headed to Mars as part of the ExoMars project – the Trace Gas Orbiter and the Schiaparelli lander – which are due to reach the planet in October.
Scientists working on the ExoMars project say that it could provide "very strong evidence" for life on Mars.
Speaking to WIRED at the launch of the first phase of the project in March, ExoMars project scientist Håvan Svedhem said: "This is the first mission to focus specifically on whether there has ever been life on Mars."
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
