Cuts to NASA's budget proposed by President Donald Trump would likely cause further delays to Europe's ExoMars rover mission, due to the fact that some critical technologies currently unavailable in Europe were to be provided by the American space agency.
When Europe began planning for its first rover to land on Mars in the early 2000s, NASA was its partner of choice. Somehow, that alliance proved troubled. NASA withdrew from the ExoMars project in 2012 after the Obama administration eliminated its funding for the mission. Russia's space agency Roscosmos stepped in, committing to provide a rocket, a landing module and a few other bits and pieces.
After several delays and budget overruns, the project was finally on schedule to launch in September 2022. But Russia's invasion of Ukraine meant that cooperation had to end. NASA stepped back in 2024, offering to help ESA make it to the launch pad by 2028. The Trump budget cuts now mean Europe may have to go it alone, possibly facing further delays.
Source: www.space.com
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