The European Space Agency will end its meeting on a series of robotic moon missions, ESA officials announced on Wednesday (April 13).
Development is part of ESAThe effort was to free itself from a network of affiliation with Russia after the last act invasion of Ukraine’s neighbor.
ESA’s decision goes into effect immediately. For example, the agency has asked its Pilot D port video camera to bring in the 25th Mission, and is committed to launching it later this year.
“I previously announced this decision to the head of Roscosmos and asked for that [Pilot D] placed in safe custody and can be returned to ESA, ”ESA Director Josef Aschbacher told a news conference on Wednesday (April 13).Roscosmos It is the Russian public square; led by Dmitry Rogozin.)
David Parker, ESA’s director of human research and robotics, added that the removal of the instrument had no effect on Russia’s ability to lead the mission.
“It’s not part of the production aircraft system,” Parker said.
Select: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as seen in the accompanying photos
ESA joined the post -Russian missionaries, 26 and 27. That operation was dismissed. The 27 rover, planned for 2025, is expected to showcase a European -built optical navigation system that relies on artificially intelligent imaging, as well as a subsurface drill designed to capture in lunar soil samples from depths up to 3 feet (1 meter).
ESA, Aschbacher said, is discussing others to provide these technologies to the month.
The drill, Aschbacher said, will fly to the moon with NASA as an American team. Commercial Lunar Payment Services project.
At the news conference, ESA also discussed the future of its little one Of Vega rocket, A large Ukrainian-built facility in its office on the site. The engines are made by the Ukrainian company Yuzhmash, based in the industrial city of Dnipro. Although Dnipro is under severe damage, there is currently no official report on damage to Yuzhmash. However, it is clear that ESA does not intend to continue its association with the industry in the future.
“We have enough time specifically for 2022 and 2023,” Aschbacher said. “We’re making choices for 2024 and beyond about a variety of technologies.”
Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA’s flight director, added: “We’re doing machine times in Europe and outside of Europe, tested or, better yet, standing and fully prepared. “
ESA before The meeting with Russia was announced on the ExoMars rover mission, which is expected to launch on Russia’s Proton rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in September. In addition to the rocket, the mission also demonstrated a Russian -built landing gear.
Aschbacher said the industry is now leading a series of studies to evaluate the future. ExoMars without Russia. Results of these studies will be submitted to ESA Member States in July. Because all the different ones will come with a great price, the members have to decide about the future of the rover.
Originally planned for 2018, the launch of the ExoMars rover faced some delays due to problems with its landing on parachutes, and later, the COVID-19 crash. The rover, equipped with a 6-foot-long (2 m) drill, is designed to search for traces of past and present life beneath the surface of the Red Earth.
A business partnership between European advertising provider Arianespace and Russia ended shortly after the war in Ukraine began when Roscosmos left its staff from the European cosmodrome in Kourou, French Guiana, and has dropped some planned advertisements of its Soyuz rocks. The move is in response to widespread sanctions against Russia.
Arianespace used Soyuz rockets from 2011 to launch its lightweight Vega and Ariane 5 heavyweight releases.
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