MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th July, 2022) Roscosmos said it had not yet received any official notification from the European Space Agency (ESA) about the termination of cooperation on the ExoMars project.
ESA chief Josef Aschbacher said Tuesday that the European Space Agency would not resume cooperation with Roscosmos on the ExoMars mission.
"The Russian side has not yet received official notification from the European Space Agency about the complete cessation of cooperation on the ExoMars-2022 project, so we have to respond only to Twitter diplomacy," Roscosmos said.
Roscosmos recalled that its chief Dmitry Rogozin had repeatedly stated that he did not expect a positive decision from the ESA, given the political pressure in Europe on scientists and experts who care about the scientific result of the mission.
"It is unfortunate that the search for signs of life on Mars turned out to be less important for Europe than the political ambitions of individual European officials and countries. Russia can implement its part of the ExoMars project at the national level or with the involvement of partners from friendly countries," the Russian space agency added.
