Europe travels to Mars
The European space agency ESA has agreed with the company Matra Marconi Space to build a space probe to be sent to Mars. The space probe will be available for 2003 and has been called Martian Express. This project will involve more than 24 companies from 14 countries with a total cost of 150 million euros. The ESA space agency attempted to launch a similar probe in 1996 using a Russian rocket, but a breakdown caused the explosion charge to be cancelled and the mission was suspended.
This type of space missions usually take 10 years, but in this case Matra Marconi Space has committed to work for 6 years. Because by then the distance between Mars and Earth will be minimal. To take advantage of this opportunity, ESA will look for new launch techniques. One of the most important objectives of the mission will be the search for signs of life on the surface of Mars to know if life exists or has existed.
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