European Space Agency hopes for Russia participaton in Mars exploration

The European Space Agency hopes the Russian Space Agency Roscosmos will participate in the joint U.S.-European Mars exploration program, an ESA representative said Friday. Rene Pichel, chief of the ESA's Moscow office, said that the space agency has invited Roscosmos to participate in the ExoMars program as a full member. Because the launch of the space vehicle to Mars is scheduled for 2016, ESA hopes Roscosmos will respond to its invitation in 2012, Pichel told the Interfax news agency. ESA turned to Russia for support following NASA's refusal to provide the European space agency with an Atlas-5 rocket as a carrier to deliver a space vehicle to Mars.