February 2022. The war in Ukraine deals a fatal blow to the ExoMars space mission. Over the course of 20 years, this ambitious project has gone through several junctures: technological challenges, economic and health crises. With exclusive access, follow the incredible fates of men and women from 20 countries pursuing a common dream: discovering if the planet Mars was once home to life.
On March 14, 2016, in Baikonur (Kazakhstan), the first ExoMars mission, a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Russians from Roscosmos, is about to take off. After seven months of travel, the Proton rocket module enters Mars orbit. The TGO orbiter then releases the Schiaparelli probe, but it crashes into Martian soil. Before it crashes, Schiaparelli sends data that engineers will use to complete the design of the Rosalind Franklin rover. It has 50 engines that drive the drill, one of which will sample Martian soil. In March 2020, four months before the new takeoff, more than 80 countries limited their populations due to Covid. In January 2022, the final assemblies of the rover were carried out in Turin in the direction of the Baikonur cosmodrome. The launch of the Proton rocket is scheduled for September. In February 2022, Russia invades Ukraine. ExoMars stays put. See you in 2028!
ExoMars: Mission Impossible: Wednesday, February 8 at 9:00 pm on National Geographic
Thomas Gaetner
Source: Programme Television
Joseph Fearn is an entertainment and television aficionado who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for what’s hot in the world of TV, Joseph keeps his readers informed about the latest trends and must-see shows.
