Exomars
ESA resumes ExoMars parachute tests
The European Space Agency has resumed tests of the parachutes for its ExoMars lander, a system whose problems contributed to a two-year delay in the mission’s launch.
UAE Mars mission to ship to launch site
A Mars orbiter developed by the United Arab Emirates will ship to its launch site in Japan this week, its launch preparations affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
ESA restores operations of space science missions
ESA has restored operations of four space science missions it placed on hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic, a move that illustrated how one agency’s actions can affect others.
ExoMars rover mission delayed to late 2022
The ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover mission has been delayed to 2022 due to a lack of time to qualify hardware vital to the spacecraft.
ExoMars parachute tests delayed, mission faces review
The European and Russian space agencies have delayed crucial ExoMars 2020 parachute tests to late March, with the mission also set to undergo review.
ESA seeks new cooperative agreement with EU
With its funding secured for the next three years, the head of the European Space Agency is now focused on implementing those key programs while establishing a new cooperative agreement with the European Union.
ESA remains confident it will fix ExoMars parachutes
Top officials with the European Space Agency remain confident that they will be able to resolve the parachute problems that threaten to delay next summer’s launch of the ExoMars 2020 rover mission.
ESA turns to NASA to assist in crucial ExoMars parachute tests
ESA needs to succeed with two upcoming parachute tests or will see the ExoMars 2020 landing mission slip to 2022.
ESA confirms second ExoMars parachute test failure
The European Space Agency said Aug. 12 that another test of the parachutes that will be used on the ExoMars 2020 lander mission failed last week, putting the schedule of the mission into jeopardy.
European Mars lander suffers parachute damage in test
Development of a European-Russian Mars lander hit a setback when the spacecraft’s parachutes malfunctioned in a recent test, but project officials said they still have time to correct the problem before its launch in a year.
ESA investigation finds Schiaparelli spacecraft was “ill-prepared” to make Mars landing
The spacecraft, a landing technology demonstrator, flew to Mars on the ExoMars 2016 mission, but crashed when it prematurely shut down its thrusters.
ESA: Mars lander crash caused by 1-second inertial measurement error
The European Space Agency on Nov. 23 said its Schiaparelli lander’s crash landing on Mars on Oct. 19 followed an unexplained saturation of its inertial measurement unit, which delivered bad data to the lander’s computer and forced a premature release of its parachute.
OHB, still growing, focused on German, European government hardware programs
Satellite and rocket hardware builder OHB of Germany on Nov. 16 said delays in its supply chain had put pressure on its revenue in recent months but that the company’s full-year profitability would be unaffected.
ESA to ask its governments in December for $12 billion
The European Space Agency will ask its 22 member governments in December for a multi-year financial commitment of around 11 billion euros ($12.2 billion) including a billion-euro telecommunications research effort to be conducted in partnership with the private sector and around 1.4 billion euros in new Earth observation missions, ESA Director-General Jan Woerner said Nov. 7.
Roscosmos says Galileo, other European space programs could suffer from payment dispute
The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, on Oct. 21 gave written warning to the French government that it would take France to court in six months unless France’s Arianespace launch-service company frees up about 300 million euros ($330 million) in long-overdue payments.
Impact site of European Mars lander seen in orbiter images
Images from a NASA Mars orbiter suggest that the European Space Agency’s Schiaparelli spacecraft crashed when attempting to land on the Martian surface Oct. 19.
Europe’s ExoMars enters Mars orbit, but lander feared lost
The European Space Agency on Oct. 19 successfully placed its Trace Gas Orbiter satellite in Mars orbit, where it will examine Mars’s atmosphere before changing orbit to become a data relay station for future U.S. and European Mars rover missions.
ESA enlists NASA chief in campaign for space station support
NASA Administrator Charles Bolden on June 15 made an impassioned plea to European governments not to quit the International Space Station partnership, saying the station is the on-ramp for future collaboration in space exploration.
Despite delays, ESA backs Mars mission plans
Thursday's briefing begins with the European Space Agency continuing their support for a Mars rover mission, despite it being later than originally scheduled.
