Europe’s first Mars rover delayed by two years

Europe’s first Mars rover delayed by two years

Europe’s Mars rover delayed by two years

The European and Russian space agencies have pushed back the launch of a rover that will search for signs of life on Mars. The Rosalind Franklin probe was meant to launch in July but will now depart in 2022 to allow key tests to take place. The space agencies also cited the global coronavirus pandemic as a reason for the delay. The epidemiological situation in Europe has “left our experts practically no possibility to proceed with travels to partner industries”, said Dmitry Rogozin, director-general of Roscosmos.

Nature | 4 min read