European Space Agency suspends €1bn Mars mission with Russia

A working prototype. The rover, named Rosalind Franklin, was assembled in the UK for a planned launch aboard a Russian rocket. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

The European Space Agency has suspended its €1bn (£844m) ExoMars mission, a joint project with Russia that was due to launch a robotic rover in September. Member states of the ESA voted on Thursday to cancel the launch because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“The decision was made that this launch cannot happen, given the current circumstances and especially the sanctions that are imposed by our member states,” said agency director general Josef Aschbacher. “This makes it practically impossible, but also politically impossible to have a launch of [the rover] in September.”