European space agency suspends Mars mission cooperation with Russia

The European Space Agency (ESA) announced on Thursday it is suspending its collaboration with Russia on a mission to investigate life on Mars.

ESA said it will no longer be working with the Russian space agency Roscosmos on the ExoMars rover mission due to the crisis in Ukraine.

According to its website, ESA's Director General Josef Aschbacher has been authorized by the ESA member states to carry out a fast-track industrial study to find alternative options for implementing the ExoMars mission.

The ExoMars Program comprises two missions: the first -- the Trace Gas Orbiter -- was launched in 2016. The second, comprising a rover and surface platform, was originally planned for 2018 but has been put off till 2022.