ESA Delays ExoMars

The European Space Agency (Esa) has pushed back the launch of its rover mission to Mars from 2011 to 2013.

The decision will not significantly delay the mission's arrival at Mars.

But it does reflect a growing will to push for an upgrade to the ExoMars project which could raise its cost from roughly 500m euros to 800m euros.

It would involve launching the rover on an Ariane 5 rocket instead of a Russian Soyuz, releasing enough mass to send an orbiting spacecraft along for the ride.

As the mission now stands, ExoMars would launch on a Soyuz-Fregat vehicle from Baikonur Cosmodrome, but the Soyuz is capable only of launching the rover and a carrier module to get it to Mars.

The more powerful Ariane 5, which launches from Kourou in French Guiana, could carry a rover and an orbiter to communicate and relay data with Earth.

There are some juicy bits in the article.

1) They are doing this to be able to put an orbiter with the rover.

2) They are doing this to avoid sitting in a heliocentric orbit for two years.

3) They are doing this to not rely on the Mars Recon orbiter (a US probe with com capabilities).

4) They are moving the rocket used from a Russian one to a European/French one.

Y'know. I think I smell some politics here. Interesting politics at that.