ESA wants to avoid 'single point of failure', but would need more powerful launcher
The European Space Agency is expected to decide in May to add an orbiter to its Exomars mission, says Daniel Sacotte, director of human spaceflight, microgravity and exploration.
The mission, now likely to be launched with an orbiter in 2013 rather than in 2011, will deliver a rover to the surface of Mars.
ESA had previously planned to send only a rover and use NASA's orbiters around Mars to relay its data. An agreement to use NASA spacecraft saw the inclusion of US instruments on the rover. The inclusion of an orbiter would mean a change of launch vehicle from a Starsem Soyuz to an Arianespace Ariane 5 because of the combined Exomars lander/orbiter's greater mass.
"In May we will decide if we have an orbiter with Exomars. It's not good to have a single point of failure. It will probably be better to have our own orbiter, as we don't know if NASA's [assets] will still be in operation," says Sacotte.
The possibility of adding an orbiter emerged after ESA's member states provided more funds than the agency expected for the mission, originally priced at €600 million ($780 million).
An additional €175 million would be needed to pay for the orbiter's development and the Ariane 5 launch.
Source: Flight International
