The European Space Agency (ESA) has terminated its previously suspended cooperation with Roscosmos on the ExoMars mission (ExoMars-2022), ESA chief Josef Aschbacher said . The head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin, in response, accused Ashbacher of "sabotaging the Martian mission" and called for an answer to humanity. He wrote about it in his Telegram channel.

“But did this head of the European Space Agency think how many thousands of scientists and engineers in Europe and Russia did he cross out with his decision? Is he ready to answer for sabotaging a joint Martian mission? No, not in front of irresponsible bureaucrats like him in the European Commission. Are you ready to answer to humanity?

Rogozin also wondered what kind of Mars one can talk about with Europeans and what kind of Venus with Americans. According to him, their governments are "seeking to kill as many Russians and Ukrainians as possible by supplying the junta in Kyiv with deadly weapons."

The head of the corporation added that Roscosmos would make every effort to return the Kazachok landing Martian module from Italy. He also instructed the Russian crew on the ISS to stop working with the European ERA manipulator. “Let Aschbacher himself and his boss Borrell fly into space and do at least something useful in their lives,” he concluded.

Earlier in March, the European Space Agency suspended cooperation with Roscosmos on the ExoMars mission due to the war Russia is waging in Ukraine. Then Rogozin said that Russia would lose a few years, but would launch a mission to Mars itself. “Without any“ European friends ”with their tails between their legs from the American shout,” added the head of the state corporation.

The ExoMars station consists of a European flight module and a Russian descent vehicle (landing module). The latter includes the Russian landing platform Kazachok and the European rover Rosalind Franklin. The last time Russia launched a lander to Mars was in 1971. The Mars-2 station crashed, the signal from Mars-3 disappeared shortly after landing. Currently, there are three rovers on the planet - two American and one Chinese.