Russia asked to join ExoMars project

Europe has formally invited Russia to participate in space missions to Mars in 2016 and 2018, the BBC News reported.

A "yes" from the Russian space agency (Roscosmos) may be the only way to save the EU-US missions, which are at risk of cancellation due to lack of funds.

The 2016 mission involves a satellite to study the Martian atmosphere, while a big robot rover to investigate the surface is scheduled for 2018.

Both are being planned with the US, which is also struggling financially.

If Russia can be persuaded to provide a rocket to launch the 2016 satellite, it should make both atmospheric and surface ventures financially feasible.

But the European and US space agencies (Esa and Nasa) know that for Roscosmos to be interested, it will want a meaningful degree of participation.

The in-kind return for Russia would be the opportunity to provide instrumentation and technology for the missions, and for its researchers to be included in the science teams.

Esa, Nasa and Roscosmos have set themselves a deadline of January to see if there is a way all parties can be satisfied.
"Everything is open for discussion," said Esa director of science, Alvaro Gimenez.

"There are possibilities for the Russians to contribute to the rover; there may also be possibilities for them to contribute to the payload on the orbiter," he told BBC News.

"Of course, in the case of 2016, we don't have much time available to get everything on board; and in the case of 2018, we don't have much room available because it is just a single Esa/Nasa rover. 

"That's why we have to start the discussions now, to see what the Russians have available and what they can develop in a fast-track.